AAP leaves no stone unturned to save its last bastion Punjab

The AAP-ruled Punjab will be going to polls in 2027. Before that, the party faces the Ludhiana (West) Assembly by-polls and in its bid to soothe the frayed nerves of the area, where people are reportedly upset over the closure of the Punjab-Haryana border, the AAP government cracked down on the protesting farmers.

In an all-out effort to retain Punjab and consolidate the party's sway in other states, the AAP on Friday announced a major organisational reshuffle. The AAP, which has also been focusing on Gujarat and Goa, where Assembly elections are due in 2027, has appointed former Delhi minister Gopal Rai and senior leader Pankaj Gupta as state in-charges, respectively.

Another former Delhi minister Sarurabh Bharadwaj has been made in charge of Delhi, replacing Mr Rai.

The decisions were made during a meeting of the AAP's political affairs committee (PAC) at the residence of Mr Kejriwal, who in a post on X, congratulated the party leaders on being given the new responsibilities.

AAP general secretary (organisation) and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak has been named in-charge of the AAP's Chhattisgarh unit. Sole AAP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir Mehraj Malik has been named the new chief of the party's J&K unit.

The party has also appointed co-in-charges for the state units, including Satyendar Jain for Punjab, Durgesh Pathak for Gujarat and Ankush Narang, Abhash Chandela and Deepak Singhla for Goa.

After the organisational reshuffle announcement, Mr Sisodia, in a post on X, thanked Mr Kejriwal and the party leadership for giving him the responsibility to work as in-charge of Punjab.

“My endeavour will be that all AAP leaders, workers, and the government, under the leadership of @BhagwantMann ji, together fulfill the expectations of the people of Punjab and live up to their trust,” he said.

Mr Sisodia mentioned that the affection of the people in Punjab is his inspiration. “The results of the AAP government's work in Punjab are visible now, and it's time to give rocket speed to this change.”

After the PAC meeting, Mr Bharadwaj said that in the Delhi Assembly polls, the AAP received around 43.5 per cent of the votes, which was just 2 per cent less than that of the BJP.

“Even in these circumstances, half of Delhi voted for the AAP. We have to take care of them as well as those who voted for the BJP and strengthen the party… Organisation building is easier after a defeat because many people join the party at the time of victory, but those who stick together even in defeat are pure gold. We will strengthen the party and expand it,” Mr Bharadwaj said.