Arvind Kejriwal / What fear is haunting Kejriwal in Punjab? He left Delhi and immediately called a meeting…

Arvind Kejriwal: After losing power in Delhi, now the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is also at the center of political turmoil. Amid speculations of a possible breakup in the Congress, the party high command along with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, government ministers and MLAs held an emergency meeting in Delhi. In this meeting, Arvind Kejriwal discussed with the MLAs, but the essence of the conversation was not clear. This meeting called suddenly has increased the political stir.

What is the concern of Aam Aadmi Party?

1. Efforts to save the credibility of the high command

After the defeat in Delhi, the AAP leadership has weakened. Many senior leaders including party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia lost the elections, due to which the central leadership of the party seems to be in crisis. For this reason, the MLAs of Punjab were called to Delhi instead of Chandigarh, so that the message does not go out that the leadership is weak.

2. Attempts to deal with anti-incumbency

One of the major reasons for AAP's defeat in the Delhi elections was anti-incumbency. The party cut the tickets of many of its MLAs, but still could not return to power. Now resentment is being seen among some MLAs in Punjab as well. AAP got only three seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and the performance in the recently held municipal elections was also average.

3. Fear of Congress-BJP alliance

Congress played an important role in defeating AAP in Delhi. AAP lost by a very narrow margin in the 19 seats where Congress got votes. This directly benefited BJP. Now in Punjab, AAP fears that BJP may cut its votes and Congress may get the benefit. Congress is the main opposition party of AAP in Punjab, while BJP is strengthening its hold in urban areas.

Why is Punjab important for AAP?

Punjab is the first full state where AAP came to power in 2022. This victory strengthened the party at the national level, its seats increased in the Rajya Sabha and it got the status of a national party. But the 2027 assembly elections are near, and if the party's position weakens here like in Delhi, the road ahead can be difficult.

This is the time for crisis management for AAP, because power in Punjab is very important for the party's national expansion. Now it remains to be seen how AAP is able to save its support base in Punjab.