AAP Faces Anti-Incumbency, INC Leadership Crisis & Weak Response to CJP

June

2026

With state Legislative Assembly elections in Panjab in early 2027, the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is increasingly finding itself on the defensive against sections of voters—including government employees, contractual workers, and unemployed youth—who had contributed significantly to the party’s landslide victory in 2022. Over the past few weeks, protests across Panjab have intensified, exposing growing resentment over pending demands related to jobs, wages, promotions, Dearness Allowance (cost of living adjustment, DA), and pension benefits. On 4 Jun, the police brutally caned protesting apprentice linemen. Since 26 May more than 1,800 outsourced employees working at over 500 Sewa Kendras (service centers) across Panjab have been on strike, demanding enhanced wages. Sanitary workers too paralyzed sanitation services in 135 urban local bodies between 6–22 May, while the Punjab Civil Secretariat and Ministerial Services Union along with other employee organizations representing staff in over 50 government departments, continue to press for the release of pending DA installments. Meanwhile, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited Panjab and said the assembly elections could be advanced to November 2026. He added, the party will contest them under the leadership of incumbent Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Simultaneously, unable to resolve factionalism and the leadership tangle in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (state unit, PPCC) ahead of the assembly elections, the Indian National Congress (INC) has appointed three observers to Panjab—Ajay Maken, Meenakshi Natarajan, and Bhajan Lal Jatav—to assess the political scenario. Concurrently, as questions over examination irregularities continue to resonate among students across India, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on 11 Jun launched a nationwide campaign seeking reforms in the education system and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reached Amritsar on 13 Jun. Dipke invoked freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and the Farmers’ Protest as he addressed the small 350 people gathering comprising farmers and activists. He said, 'Our youth movement cannot succeed without Panjab’s support.’ He asked people to gather in Delhi on 20 Jun. While CJP continues to get police protection, students protesting under INC banners are treated harshly by police across India (earlier coverage).