NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh made a notable political switch on Friday, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ending his association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The announcement brings an end to a period in which Harbhajan had been part of AAP’s political push, after initially entering public life through the Kejriwal-led outfit.
Harbhajan is a former India star who featured in the country’s World Cup-winning campaigns in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. In 2022, AAP nominated him to the Rajya Sabha, selecting him as one of five candidates from Punjab. His name has also been linked with a wider pattern of AAP lawmakers moving over to the BJP, with Raghav Chadha among the other prominent figures making the transition.
On the cricket front, Harbhajan’s international career spanned formats and decades. He played 103 Tests, 236 One-Day Internationals and 28 T20 Internationals for India between 1998 and 2016, establishing himself as one of the most recognisable spin bowlers of his era. After taking his first steps into politics by joining AAP, he received the Rajya Sabha nomination in 2022, marking a significant new chapter beyond the cricket field.
Now, with nearly four years spent with AAP, Harbhajan’s move to the BJP represents a clear shift in the trajectory of his political journey.
