Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fallen to third place in the Chandigarh municipal corporation with just seven councillors after Ramchander Yadav defected to the Congress on Tuesday. AAP now holds the fewest seats in the 35-member house behind the BJP and Congress, a sharp drop from 2022 when it debuted as the single largest party with 14 seats.The latest departure leaves AAP with six original elected councillors, plus former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillor Hardeep Singh, who joined the party earlier. Six of the eight total exits occurred in less than a year, with two councillors quitting in Dec 2025 and four more leaving since Feb, just months ahead of the upcoming December 2026 civic body elections.The loss in numerical strength cost AAP the status of leader of the opposition (LoP) over a month ago, which went to the Congress. Congress had initially held the fewest seats when the current term began in 2022.AAP leadership has repeatedly attributed the departures to opposition parties using horse-trading, financial inducements, and muscle power. However, prolonged internal organisational issues also contributed to the party’s inability to retain its members over the past four and a half years.Following the dissolution of its local unit in Jan 2023, Chandigarh AAP operated without a formal organisational structure or local president for nearly two years until December 2024. This leadership void fueled factionalism and weakened party discipline. Internal friction was visible in Jan when Ramchander Yadav filed nomination papers against AAP’s official deputy mayor candidate before eventually switching to Congress.
