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News18 has learnt that Arvind Kejriwal, who could not retain his New Delhi MLA seat, may move to the Rajya Sabha “to fight for the rights of people of Delhi”
The AAP has not made any official announcement around the likely move. (File)
Entry into the Rajya Sabha (RS) could be the next plan for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal after he lost the Delhi Assembly polls.
News18 has learnt that Kejriwal, who could not retain his New Delhi MLA seat, may move to the Rajya Sabha “to fight for the rights of people of Delhi“.
Speaking to News18, a party leader said that all the positions he held so far were a means of social welfare. “The aim of coming to power was to serve the people. We will continue that. If not as the Chief Minister of Delhi, then maybe as a Rajya Sabha MP,” the leader said, demanding anonymity.
When asked if there is any such discussion, the AAP leader said that “it is a possibility and you cannot deny it”.
He also explained that holding a position is not exactly the aim, but it adds authority to what you are saying. “As a public representative, you have the power to raise the issues being faced by the masses. Although he is heading a national party, a Rajya Sabha membership would help further,” he said.
The AAP has not made any official announcement around this, but the leader is confident that Kejriwal will go to the Rajya Sabha.
From winning more than 60 out of 70 seats in 2015 and 2020, the AAP’s tally in the Delhi assembly dropped to just 22 in 2025. Kejriwal and some of his important leaders lost their seats. Now, the AAP will be in the opposition in Delhi.
Even though the AAP has lost the Delhi assembly polls, it still has three Rajya Sabha seats in hand until 2030.
THE RAJYA SABHA SEATS
Currently, Sanjay Singh and Narain Dass Gupta are the Rajya Sabha members from Delhi from the AAP. Swati Maliwal, who has turned critical of Kejriwal and the AAP in the last few months, is also representing the AAP in the Rajya Sabha. While it is the first term for Maliwal, Singh and Gupta have been the party’s RS choice in the last term as well.
Currently, there are 10 Rajya Sabha seats under the AAP – three from Delhi and seven from Punjab. The seats in Delhi have a tenure till 2030, while those from Punjab are valid till 2028.
To play a safe game, it is likely that in place of Delhi, Kejriwal may choose to represent Punjab as it will be easier to win the Rajya Sabha bypolls from the state as his party enjoys a clear majority in the state.
If one of the Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi resigns for Kejriwal, there will be bypolls. It will be difficult for him to win from Delhi as his party has just 22 MLAs and could not secure a majority. On the other hand, in the 117-member Punjab assembly, the AAP has 94 seats. It will be easier for Kejriwal to win the bypolls from Punjab.
