When BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Singh Shergill declared after the party’s victory in West Bengal and Assam, “Punjab next! Aam Aadmi Party pack your bags,” it was not dismissed as mere rhetoric. The BJP’s growing assertiveness in Punjab—fuelled in part by inducting leaders from rival parties—has emerged as a significant concern across the state’s political spectrum.
From its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal to its traditional rival Congress, all major political players in Punjab are recalibrating their strategies in response to the BJP’s unprecedented aggression. However, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears to be the most uneasy.
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Concerns within AAP have intensified amid claims that BJP is seeking to expand its footprint by leveraging leaders who once played key roles in AAP’s rise. Reports suggest that newly aligned BJP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, may play a central role in building the party’s campaign in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While no formal move has been announced, both BJP and AAP circles expect the duo to shift focus to Chandigarh and oversee organisational expansion.
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The duo – one with charisma and tact for political manoeuvring, and the other, with experience of building organization at the ground- level through statistical tools-responsible for the AAP win in 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, where AAP had won 92 of 117 seats ( now AAP has 94 seats). There are reports that a close aide of Chadha has already started calling up AAP leaders in Punjab with a “preposition”. Pathak, who built the AAP organisation from scratch, personally knows and has mentored AAP organisation leaders and MLAs.
“We are not sure about their immediate movement to Punjab. But one thing is for sure that their experience in building base for AAP win in 2022 will be used for building BJP base for upcoming assembly elections,” a senior BJP leader told The Tribune.
In response, the AAP leadership is taking steps to maintain unity within its ranks. Earlier plans to replace several sitting MLAs with parallel “halqa incharges” appear to have been largely put on hold. The party now believes that even underperforming MLAs retain value due to their established presence in constituencies.
Instead, a review mechanism has been initiated. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Punjab affairs incharge Manish Sisodia are holding district-wise meetings with MLAs to assess their performance and suggest improvements. Simultaneously, amid recent controversies involving the Chief Minister in the Vidhan Sabha, AAP has launched an aggressive social media campaign highlighting its work in education, healthcare, social welfare, and irrigation through canal water usage. . “The reason why non-BJP parties lost elections in other states today was because they did not have much to show for development. We have fulfilled all promises and we rely on our delivery of promises to help us seek public mandate in 2027,” said a senior AAP leader