The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has summoned a large number of its Punjab MLAs to Jalandhar on Wednesday morning, a move being seen as an attempt by the party to keep its flock together after seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs — including six from the state — crossed over to the BJP.
The party has 94 legislators in the 117-member state Assembly. According to sources, some of the MLAs, who were fielded in the 2022 state Assembly poll on the recommendation of Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, were being “closely watched” by the AAP leadership.
A source said a majority of the MLAs summoned for the meeting on Wednesday belong to the state’s Malwa region, which sends the maximum 69 legislators to the Assembly.
The meeting will be held at a private university, where the MLAs will meet the party’s top leaders. They will be briefed about the way ahead for the party and how to keep the party cadre united. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, state unit chief Aman Arora and Punjab affairs incharge Manish Sisodia are expected to brief the media, while party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to join the meeting virtually.
‘Bid to save organisation’
According to sources, since it was Pathak who had built the party cadre from scratch and remained in touch with most office-bearers, the MLAs are likely to be briefed by Sisodia on how to “save the organisation”. Party sources have told The Tribune that the work of the party organisation was now being handled directly by Sisodia. An MLA from the Malwa region said efforts were now underway to “save the organisation” after seven of the 10 AAP Rajya Sabha members defected to the BJP three days ago. The defectors included Chadha and Pathak. It is learnt that some MLAs from Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Ropar, who were given the tickets on the recommendation of Chadha and Pathak, are being closely watched. Their daily meetings are being monitored.
‘Removal from key posts likely’
“Some of us have been asked to stay in touch with them and closely watch where they are going and who they are meeting. Any movement out of the state will be reported,” another AAP MLA told The Tribune.
The MLA said the party was also “contemplating removing” chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of several boards and corporations due to their proximity to Chadha and Pathak.
Meanwhile, a senior leader said not only MLAs, around 1,000 party observers had also been called for the Wednesday meeting. “The meeting is part of the ongoing outreach and coordination exercise, where the observers review progress and streamline future efforts,” the leader added