Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s rout in Delhi has resounded in Punjab, the only state where the party is now in power.
There is growing worry within the party’s state leadership about the potential impact the Delhi carnage will have on their own prospects.
This is because the party’s Punjab victory in 2022 and its subsequent welfare schemes, including mohalla clinics and free power, were modelled on its Delhi mode of governance, which bit the dust following Saturday’s poll outcome.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, his cabinet ministers and the party’s MLAs all campaigned in Delhi ahead of the election and promoted the AAP government’s work in the capital on the health, education and employment fronts.
But all of this could not save the AAP from a humiliating defeat, raising the question if the party’s performance in Punjab was up to the mark despite its historic mandate in the state’s assembly polls two years ago.
There is already discontentment in the party’s rank and file over its poor electoral performance in last year’s general elections, where it won just three out of Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha seats.
Even the recent municipal body polls delivered mixed results for the party. It faced setbacks in the Amritsar and Phagwara municipal corporations, where it finished second. In Ludhiana and Jalandhar, it emerged as the largest party but fell short of the majority needed to install its mayors, necessitating alliances or support from independents and smaller parties.
Surprisingly, Mann’s home turf of Sangrur also saw a hung house, with the AAP winning just seven of 29 wards.
While none of the party’s top leadership in Punjab face corruption charges, unlike their Delhi counterparts, they are certainly facing charges of misgovernance, law and order lapses and the unfulfillment of pre-election promises, including Rs 1,000 per month for women.
Videos of AAP leaders enjoying full VIP protocols and having huge police convoys also appear to have belied the ‘aam aadmi’ (common person) image they once projected in order to gain the trust of Punjab’s people.
In Delhi too, the BJP and the Congress extensively used the ‘sheesh mahal’ controversy surrounding the alleged expensive renovation of Kejriwal’s house to convey the idea that the AAP deviated from its common person image, something it has emphasised in Punjab as well.
Also read: AAP’s Defeat Has Lesson For Opposition on Ideological Clarity, Unity
Opposition parties ramp up pressure
In light of the Delhi results, opposition parties in Punjab pounced on the AAP’s growing miseries, airing all sorts of wild speculation that ranged from Kejriwal replacing Mann as chief minister and about the disintegration of the party.
The opposition’s speculation stems from the argument that with the AAP’s loss on Saturday, the Delhi unit’s control over Punjab’s affairs is set to increase and this will trigger a power struggle between Kejriwal and Mann, leading to a change of leadership and ultimately the party’s disintegration.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa in a media statement on Saturday claimed that the AAP’s Punjab chief Aman Arora recently hinted that a Hindu could become Punjab’s chief minister.
This, Bajwa claimed, was enough indication that the AAP leadership was paving the way for Mann’s replacement and Kejriwal’s arrival as chief minister.
He added that this would lead to an internal rift, with Mann supporters being pitting against Kejriwal’s, as well as to defections and the AAP’s disintegration.
Another senior Congress leader, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, claimed that Punjab should prepare for a mid-term election due to the looming crisis within the AAP following its Delhi defeat.
Punjab BJP leaders too began attacking the Mann-led Punjab government. Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu in a media statement asked Mann to start packing his bags.
Party state president Sunil Jakhar appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the responsibility of freeing Punjab from the AAP.
On the contrary, the Punjab AAP spokesperson denied the opposition’s accusations, saying the Punjab government under Mann was working well to fulfil the public’s aspirations.
He also denied the opposition’s charge that Kejriwal would head the Punjab government, saying he is the party’s national face and will continue to guide Punjab toward good governance.
