Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is set to meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 after receiving a formal appointment, amid a political controversy triggered by the defection of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The meeting comes in the wake of a major political shift involving seven AAP Members of Parliament, including several from Punjab, who recently joined the BJP. The developments have created a significant setback for the AAP, prompting the Punjab government to seek intervention from the highest constitutional office.

According to reports, Mann had requested an urgent meeting with the President to raise concerns over what the party describes as an unprecedented “mass defection” in the Rajya Sabha. The Chief Minister is expected to argue that the switch undermines the mandate under which the MPs were originally elected.

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The controversy has also intensified political tensions between AAP and the BJP in Punjab and at the national level. While AAP leaders have termed the defections as politically motivated and against the spirit of democratic representation, BJP leaders have defended the move, calling it a legitimate exercise of political choice.

The issue has further escalated debates around the anti-defection law and whether such group-level shifts in Parliament should trigger any constitutional scrutiny. However, constitutional experts note that parliamentary defections of this nature often fall within the legal framework if numerical conditions under the Tenth Schedule are met.

With the May 5 meeting now confirmed, the discussion at Rashtrapati Bhavan is expected to be politically sensitive, focusing on the implications of the defections and the broader question of party allegiance in India’s parliamentary system.

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