Punjab’s political arena is heating up as the Assembly election approaches, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP beginning to firm up their campaign plans. The state is set to go to the polls along with several other states in 2027.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s AAP, which wrested power from the Congress in 2022, is being portrayed as entering a make-or-break phase. The report says public dissatisfaction has grown over what is seen as weak administrative performance, alongside a series of corruption-related allegations.
Among the issues cited are complaints that bribes are being sought even for government schemes, and criticism that patients visiting government pharmacies are being redirected to “Mohalla Clinics” amid what opponents describe as an advertising push. The article also refers to a video that triggered outrage; it says forensic checks confirmed its authenticity, and Sikh body Akal Takht has declared the Chief Minister a “betrayer of the Guru”.
The Congress, after a run of election setbacks, is under pressure to revive in Punjab. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is said to be pressing the party leadership to remove state unit chief Amrinder Singh Warring, while speculation persists that Channi could shift to the BJP if he is denied the post.
With the Shiromani Akali Dal struggling after breaking its earlier alliance with the BJP and facing internal strains, the BJP is moving aggressively to expand its base among Hindu, Sikh and farmer voters. In that backdrop, it is preparing to contest all 117 constituencies on its own, the report says.
