AAP Govt. Completes Three Years, Budget on 26 Mar

The Panjab government has announced the dates for the state’s budget session from 21–28 Mar. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema will present the 2025–26 Budget on 26 Mar. After the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) recent electoral loss in Delhi, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal went on a 10-day Vipassana (meditation) session in Hoshiarpur. Upon return he is focussing on Panjab where the party has faced recent setbacks in local municipality polls but manages to retain mayoral posts through alliances and defections. Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Kejriwal marked the completion of three years of AAP governance by paying respects at Amritsar’s key religious sites, including Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), and two Hindu temples Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirth Sthal. Kejriwal also met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lakshmi Kanta Chawla sparking speculation of an alliance between AAP and BJP for the Panjab Assembly elections in 2027. Senior Indian National Congress (INC) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira criticised CM Mann for ‘remote-control governance’ by Kejriwal, while BJP’s state chief Sunil Jakhar accused the government of allowing law and order to deteriorate. Jakhar insisted only Kejriwal remains safe behind extensive Panjab police security, questioning why the public is left unprotected. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition INC’s Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that in the budget AAP govt. must provide three years of arrears—USD 4.31B—to women awaiting the monthly USD 11.55 allowance promised in 2022. Amid these controversies, Kejriwal dismissed rumors that CM Mann would be replaced, insisting he will complete his term and seek re-election. On the administrative front, the Panjab Cabinet has approved a waiver under the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act, enabling continued ‘English for Work’ training in government colleges, and approved setting up 40 Hunar Sikhiya (talent education) Schools at USD 3.7M.