Post Elections Knives Out Among Losers in Panjab

While AAP sent three MPs from Panjab, it suffered losses in 60 of 92 assembly segments where they had won in 2022 and their vote share reduced from 42% to 26%. AAP lost in the assembly constituencies represented by eight ministers Lal Chand Kataruchak, Balkar Singh, Laljit Bhullar, Anmol Gagan Maan, Dr Baljit Kaur, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, and Harbhajan Singh. On 11 Jun, three AAP Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) skipped the meeting called by CM Bhagwant Mann for feedback on the elections. On 9 Jun, AAP MLA from Amritsar Central Dr Ajay Gupta spoke against the working style of the party. In his speech he said, ‘The government brutally failed on its major poll promises of eradicating corruption and drug addiction in the state,’ adding that these malpractices have been growing and have increased manifold in the last two years. In BJP, a section of leaders accused prominent party faces of deliberately staying away from Sanjay Tandon’s campaign in Chandigarh. Tandon blamed the lack of coordination between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP’s ideological parent organization) and BJP in Panjab. Meanwhile, Sheetal Angural, the AAP MLA who joined BJP did a U-turn and wanted to rejoin AAP before the election day. However, the Panjab Speaker accepted Angural’s resignation which he had delayed for two months. Now a bye-poll is scheduled for 10 Jul. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia has asked the Minister of State from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu to protect Panjab’s rights over Chandigarh. He cites the Union Ministry of Home Affairs memorandum of 4 Nov 1966 to assert the claim. Majithia ignores the fact that his party was in partnership with BJP for 24 years and they never raised the issue.