Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Chadha–Modi meeting sparks buzz over his larger Punjab role
Raghav Chadha is a leader who used to belong to a political party called the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP.
He helped AAP win a big election in a state in India called Punjab.
Later, he left AAP and joined a different party, the BJP, along with six other leaders.
On a Saturday, Chadha went to meet the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
After the meeting, Chadha said it was a morning he will always remember.
People think this meeting might mean Chadha will get a bigger job in Punjab.
Punjab will soon hold an Assembly election to choose its government.
A day before Chadha's meeting, the leader of another party called the Shiromani Akali Dal also met the Prime Minister.
Some people wonder whether the BJP will work together with that party or try to win Punjab all on its own.
Nobody knows exactly what was discussed, so everyone is just guessing.
BJP MP Raghav Chadha met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, calling it "a morning I will cherish."
The meeting came a day after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met the PM, fuelling speculation about Chadha's larger role in Punjab.
Chadha left AAP and joined the BJP with six other Rajya Sabha MPs earlier this year.
Chadha, once seen as Punjab's "de facto Chief Minister," helped script AAP's 2022 victory alongside Sandeep Pathak and handpicked most of the party's MLAs.
The BJP has activated its organisational machinery in Punjab and called the state's leaders to Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections.
- Who
- Raghav Chadha, BJP MP and former AAP leader, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- What
- A meeting between Chadha and PM Modi that sparked speculation about Chadha taking a larger role in the BJP's Punjab strategy ahead of Assembly elections.
- When
- On Saturday, a day after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met the Prime Minister.
- Where
- Not explicitly stated; the BJP has also called Punjab's state leaders to Delhi for a meeting.
- Why
- The BJP is activating its machinery ahead of Punjab Assembly elections and weighing its strategy in a state it has long failed to win.
Independent path
Alliance with SAD
BJP's Punjab election strategy
Independent path
Encouraged by its recent West Bengal verdict, the BJP could contest all 117 Assembly seats on its own, without the SAD.
Alliance with SAD
The BJP and SAD were once an ideal alliance combining the BJP's urban Hindu base with the SAD's rural Sikh support, and Badal's meeting with the PM may have changed the equation toward reviving it.
Chadha's role in the Punjab campaign
Independent path
Sources and speculation suggest Chadha could take on a key role in the BJP's Punjab strategy, given his grasp of electoral dynamics and his urban appeal, especially among Gen Z voters.
Alliance with SAD
The meeting's purpose was not disclosed, and Badal's earlier meeting could signal that the alliance takes precedence, leaving Chadha's exact role unclear.
- Key people
- Raghav Chadha, PM Narendra Modi
- Chadha's comment
- "A morning I will cherish" after the meeting
- Context
- Upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab
- Party switch
- Chadha left AAP and joined BJP with six other Rajya Sabha MPs earlier this year
- Prior meeting
- SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met the PM a day earlier
- Punjab Assembly seats
- 117
- BJP-SAD history
- Alliance collapsed over the farm laws in 2020