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After Rajya Sabha defections, AAP puts up a united face at closed-door brainstorm
AAP leadership chairs 2027 poll strategy session in Jalandhar 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 Jalandhar-based CT Institute of Engineering 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. The meeting was attended by most MLAs from across Punjab and several senior cabinet ministers were also present.
“It is not mandatory for all MLAs to attend the meeting. We were directed to remain present only if there was no important prior engagement in our respective constituencies. A few of the MLAs left after attending the first session due to their pre-scheduled meetings,” an MLA said, requesting anonymity.
Focus on morale-boosing
The meeting was divided into different sessions, including fun and recreational activities, a review of work done by observers and an address by chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Sisodia.
Attendees said there was hardly any discussion on the recent crisis faced by the party following the defection of its Rajya Sabha members.
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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 AAP with just three members in the Upper House and raised questions about stability in Punjab, the party’s only governing state.
Mann calls it routine, highlights grassroots strength
Interacting virtually with the observers, the CM said the presence of observers and MLAs in large numbers had boosted the morale of party workers on the ground.
“Whatever happened recently had failed to deter the spirits of the volunteers. Instead, the true colours of such leaders have been exposed in the public,” Mann said, adding that he had been receiving congratulatory calls from people happy with the exit of the seven Rajya Sabha members.
He added that the organisation is above personal stature and everyone should come together to strengthen the party.
Mann said it was a routine meeting held to review the work of observers and direct them to take government policies and pro-people decisions to rural areas.
The CM added that whenever AAP has faced challenges, Punjabis have stood firm like flag bearers. “In 2014, when the party contested across the country, Punjab gave it representation. In 2019, even during tough times, Punjab ensured the party’s presence in Parliament,” he said.
Focus on 2027 polls, ground feedback
The Wednesday session focused on grassroots data and long-term planning for the next electoral cycle.
“Block observers conducted a detailed survey for the 117 state assembly constituencies 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,” Aman Arora said, adding that such meetings are routine and unrelated to the recent Rajya Sabha defections.
Despite strict security protocols — including 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 remained intact, with no sitting MLAs in contact with the rebel faction.
Sisodia dismisses crisis narrative, targets BJP
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 said.
Sisodia said the block observers bridge the gap between ground workers and both the party and government. “Such a meeting was held in February during which the observers were tasked to have a one-to-one interaction with 2.5 lakh workers to gather feedback on the working of the government,” he said.
On claims of AAP MLAs being in contact with the BJP, Sisodia said the BJP is a party of “liars and traitors” who have joined the saffron party by leaving other parties.
“The BJP is known for playing divisive politics, dismantling political parties, using the ED, CBI to intimidate opposition leaders. However, it hardly knows how to play politics of development and welfare of people,” Sisodia said, adding that the media should stop taking the BJP seriously.
He said AAP MLAs are fully motivated as the government has fulfilled every promise in the past four years.
“Instead of being in touch with defectors, our leaders are in touch with the people who voted us to power,” he said.
Resembled ‘corporate-style’ activity
One of the AAP MLAs said no discussion on the internal crisis took place and the meeting appeared focused more on boosting morale at the grassroots level.
“One of the workers raised the issues of defection by seven RS members, to which Sisodia reacted that it is a time to move on instead of sitting and thinking what happened recently,” an MLA from Malwa said.
Another MLA said it resembled a “corporate-style” activity where group exercises like pass-the-ring and tug of war were organised for block observers.
“There is a sense of anxiousness not only in the top leadership but also at ground level as our workers are coming up with a plethora of questions about the party crisis and how things will unfold in the near future,” he said.
Mann announces village-level ‘sath’
CM Bhagwant Mann said he and other ministers would begin holding ‘saths’ (community meetings in villages) from April 30, starting in Sangrur district.
He said these events would be designed without heavy security restrictions so that the public can directly raise issues with him.
“The people often complain about the inconvenience they face during state-level events due to security reasons. In saths, they could come directly to have direct communication with me and my colleagues,” he said.
AAP’s optics cannot hide ground reality: Warring
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party over its organisational exercise in Jalandhar, calling it a desperate attempt to revive sinking morale within the party cadre.
Warring said the meeting of observers in Jalandhar is nothing but a damage-control exercise, coming at a time when the party is facing serious internal turmoil and loss of credibility.
He said, “AAP is trying to create an artificial show of strength, but the reality on the ground is very different. People of Punjab have already seen through their false promises and governance failures. No amount of staged meetings can change that.”
