With the Aam Aadmi Party’s crushing defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections —where it secured only 22 out of 70 seats compared to its previous landslide victories—has sparked intense speculation about internal dynamics in the political unit.
With AAP’s stronghold in Delhi lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a decade of dominance, attention has shifted to Punjab, the only state where AAP remains in power. At the heart of this scrutiny is the relationship between AAP’s national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Sources stated that Mann is seemingly unhappy with the continued interference in the state government work by AAP’s national leadership. Almost the entire top leadership, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, has been camping in Punjab for extended periods of time ever since the Delhi loss, sources pointed out.
This continued presence is leading to increased friction within the party, sources said.
It is understood that with Delhi no longer under AAP’s control, Punjab has become the party’s sole bastion, amplifying the stakes for both Kejriwal and Mann.
Moreover, Punjab is now seen as the testing ground for its survival ahead of the 2027 state elections.
Post-Delhi loss, Kejriwal convened a meeting with Mann, Punjab ministers, and AAP MLAs on February 11, in the national capital. Officially, the meeting was framed as a strategy session to analyze the Delhi results and chart the way forward for Punjab. AAP termed it a “routine” exercise, emphasizing that feedback from party units is a continuous process. However, the timing and context have fueled speculation about underlying tensions. It has been suggested that Kejriwal may be seeking to tighten his grip on Punjab’s governance, potentially at the expense of Mann’s autonomy.
Critics have often accused the Punjab government of being “remote-controlled” from Delhi, a charge that gained traction when Kejriwal’s former aide, Vibhav Kumar, was appointed as Mann’s Chief Advisor in October 2024. The Delhi defeat has intensified this narrative, with some arguing that Kejriwal may now exert even greater control over Punjab to compensate for his loss of direct political power.
Reports suggest that during the February 11 meeting, Kejriwal instructed Punjab MLAs to bypass bureaucrats and approach him directly if their demands were unmet—a move that could undermine Mann’s authority as Chief Minister.
Though talk of friction between Kejriwal and Mann has been denied by AAP, the potential for tension exists. The Delhi defeat has undeniably shifted AAP’s internal dynamics, placing Mann in a pivotal role while Kejriwal seeks to reclaim relevance. Punjab is now AAP’s lifeline, and the Kejriwal-Mann partnership—or power struggle—will shape its fate. For now, the party must regroup, rethink, and redefine its approach, lest the Delhi rout foreshadow a broader decline.
