E-Paper
AAP holds show of strength in Jalandhar to consolidate Punjab unit
Party leadership chairs 2027 poll strategy session with 1,000 observers; downplays impact of recent Rajya Sabha mass defection.
In a strategic show of strength following the recent defection of seven Rajya Sabha members, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) presented a united front by holding a state-level poll strategy session at a private university in Jalandhar on Wednesday.
Chaired by Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia and state unit president Aman Arora, the session included AAP MLAs from across the state and nearly 1,000 block observers.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joined the proceedings via video conferencing.
The party hit turbulence on April 24 when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit to join the BJP. Crucially, six of these defectors—Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta—represented Punjab. The exodus left the AAP with just three members in the Upper House and raised questions about stability in Punjab, the only state where the party currently holds power.
Wednesday’s session focused on grassroots data and long-term planning for the next electoral cycle. “These block observers conducted a detailed survey for the 117 state assembly elections to gauge the pulse of the people, the state government’s performance, and the respective representative of their assembly segment. The meeting aims to gather ground feedback from these observers so that necessary measures can be taken before the 2027 assembly elections,” Arora said, adding that such meetings are routine and unrelated to the recent Rajya Sabha defections.
Despite strict security protocols—which included a ban on mobile phones and recording devices—party leaders insisted the timing was not reactionary. Arora argued that the defecting MPs lacked a genuine political base and that the state unit remains intact, with no sitting MLAs in contact with the rebel faction.
Reinforcing the narrative of stability, Sisodia dismissed claims that the Jalandhar meet was an emergency intervention necessitated by the Rajya Sabha row. “This is a regular organisational meeting, which is part of the AAP’s routine process,” he added.
