Kejriwal calls meeting with Punjab MLAs amid exodus talks after Delhi loss

Photo: PTI

After Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) heavy defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, party leader Arvind Kejriwal called for an important meeting with AAP MLAs and ministers from Punjab. This is significant because Punjab is the only state where AAP is still in power. The meeting, set to take place on Tuesday, comes after claims from Punjab Congress leaders who said they have been in touch with nearly 30 AAP MLAs from the state.

In response to AAP’s loss in Delhi, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took control after 27 years, Punjab's Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, claimed he had been in contact with AAP MLAs for some time. He mentioned that these MLAs realized that being part of AAP was not a promising future, calling it “a one-way ticket to the moon,” suggesting they would not return after their defeat.

Bajwa and other opposition leaders also predicted that a split in AAP was likely in Punjab. There were also talks of a reshuffle in the state government. In 2022, AAP secured 92 out of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly, replacing Congress as the ruling party. Congress had won 18 seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal got three.

Bajwa criticized the AAP, saying that both Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had made unrealistic promises to the people of Punjab to win their votes in 2022. He also added that the results in Delhi marked the beginning of AAP’s downfall.

The Congress leader further speculated that Kejriwal might consider contesting elections from Ludhiana, which currently has no representative, and could even join the Punjab government. Punjab BJP leader Subhash Sharma also suggested that Kejriwal may be aiming to become the Chief Minister of Punjab.

However, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang downplayed these speculations. He explained that the meeting was part of an ongoing process where feedback from party units would help shape AAP’s future strategy. He added that under the leadership of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, the meeting would help in planning the party’s next steps.

Despite AAP’s stronghold in Delhi, where they previously had 67 MLAs in a 70-member assembly, they only secured 22 seats in the February 5 election. Many senior AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and several others, lost their seats, except for Atishi, who managed to keep her position.

Feb. 10, 2025 {{ Blogdetails.schedule_date|time }} 368

#trending #latest #AAP #ArvindKejriwal #PunjabPolitics #BJP #DelhiElection #PunjabCM #PartapSinghBajwa #PunjabMLAs #PoliticalSplit #AAPLoss #LudhianaElection #PunjabGovernment #AssemblyElection #Kejriwal #BhagwantMann #DelhiDefeat #OppositionPredictions #ElectionResults #IndianPolitics #Congress #BJPWin #breakingnews #trendingnews #DXBIndiaNews #BreakingNewsIndia #IndiaUpdates #GlobalIndiaNews #TrendingInIndia #DXBTrending #IndiaHeadlines #TopStoriesIndia #MiddleEastMeetsIndia #ViralIndiaNews #SouthAsiaNews #AllIndianews #breakingsportsnews #breakingPoliticalnews #breakingFinancenews #breakingregionalnews #Entertainmentnews #Educationnews #technologynews #DXBIndia