The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has appointed its Member of Parliament, Raghav Chadha, as the party leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Sanjay Singh.
In a letter addressed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, the AAP leadership cited Sanjay Singh's absence due to 'health-related issues' as the reason for the change.
Raghav Chadha will now assume the role of party leader in the upper house of Parliament.
Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Rajya Sabha member, Sanjay Singh, is currently in jail in connection with investigations related to financial irregularities associated with Delhi's excise policy for the year 2021-22.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested the AAP parliamentarian as part of its probe into the alleged financial misconduct linked to Delhi's excise policy.
In this case, he becomes the second high-profile leader to face such charges, following the former Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia.
AAP, which governs Delhi, has dismissed the arrests and the case as a 'political conspiracy.'
According to the ED, the investigation revealed that substantial amounts of cash, totalling two crores, were delivered to Singh's residence on two occasions. The cash transactions occurred between August 2021 and April 2022.
Sources from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat have confirmed that AAP has submitted a letter regarding the appointment of Chadha as the leader of the upper house i.e. Rajya Sabha.
The letter is with the Rajya Sabha General Secretary for implementation. Chadha is one of the youngest members in the Rajya Sabha, with the AAP having a total of 10 members in the Upper House at present.
In terms of the number of members, AAP ranks as the fourth-largest party in the Rajya Sabha after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).