Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : AAP vs Raghav Chadha: Can a political party remove its Rajya Sabha MP and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Amid the ongoing row, the internet remains abuzz with a major question: Can a political party remove its Rajya Sabha MP?
What to know?
In its latest decision regarding Chadha, the AAP has described it as an internal restructuring. However, the issue escalated further after Chadha openly questioned the move.
“Have I done something wrong?” he asked in a video message shared on social media and said he raises public issues whenever granted an opportunity to speak in Parliament.
“Is it a crime or a mistake to do so? Why would anyone want to silence me? Don’t mistake my silence for my defeat,” he said.
Can a political party remove its Rajya Sabha MP?
In Rajya Sabha, members are elected indirectly by elected members of State Legislative Assemblies via proportional representation with the help of a single transferable vote. A Rajya Sabha MP gets to serve six years in Parliament, with one-third retiring every two years.
This means that once they get elected, their membership remains protected under the Constitution, while it does not remain dependent on the party leadership.
Ultimately, a party does not hold the authority to remove its MP from Parliament, even at the time of disagreement.
But the party might consider restricting the MP’s role within the party, which includes positions like deputy leader. It also gets to decide who represents it in debates and discussions.
In Raghav Chadha’s case, he has lost his role within AAP’s parliamentary structure. Being its Deputy Leader, he was part of its official voice in the Upper House. But now that position is gone.
He remains a Rajya Sabha MP, and his tenure does not get affected by the party’s decision.
A similar scenario occurred in 2024, when Swati Maliwal had a major fallout with the party leadership after she accused a close aide of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of assault inside the CM’s residence.
Even if the party expels its MP, this does not end their parliamentary membership.
An MP’s membership usually ends under limited circumstances: if the member resigns voluntarily or gets disqualified after they defy the party whip or give up membership under the anti-defection law.