Beyond The Defections: What Is Driving Dissent Within AAP's Punjab Unit?

Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered a setback in Punjab, with three sitting MLAs quitting the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), bringing internal differences within its state unit into focus.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra joined the BJP at its headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. The induction took place in the presence of BJP General Secretary Satish Poonia and Punjab unit president Kewal Singh Dhillon.

The three legislators represented Amritsar North, Sanour and Samana constituencies, respectively. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh is a former IPS officer.

While all three had recently resigned from AAP, the exits of Pathanmajra and Jouramajra were accompanied by a public account of their differences with the party and the Bhagwant Mann government.

What Led To The Resignations?

Addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club on Sunday, Pathanmajra and Jouramajra questioned the functioning of the party's leadership, including national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Bibhav Kumar. They also criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government, arguing that it had failed to meet several commitments made to voters.

A major part of their criticism concerned the government's promise to make Punjab free of drugs and corruption. The MLAs questioned the continued availability of 'chitta', alleged doorstep delivery of narcotics and the consequences of drug addiction for families, despite AAP having been in power for more than four-and-a-half years.

They also referred to the October 13-14 killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, raising concerns about the security of those campaigning against drugs.

The legislators further alleged that extortion, chain snatching, gangster activities and murders had contributed to an atmosphere of insecurity. They questioned police effectiveness, particularly in view of criminal incidents reported near police stations and offices of senior police officials.

On corruption, they pointed to alleged bribery in police stations, tehsil offices and other government establishments. They also cited controversies involving former minister Vijay Singla and Sanjeev Arora while questioning the consistency of the government's action against corruption.

Farmers, Employees And Public Services

The two MLAs also highlighted what they described as unfulfilled promises to farmers, including guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for all crops and procurement of maize and moong. Urea availability and the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme were among their concerns.

For government employees and pensioners, they claimed that pending Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief dues amounted to approximately Rs 14,191 crore. They also raised Sixth and Seventh Pay Commission arrears and the failure to regularise contractual workers.

In education, they claimed that nearly 2,400 schools had only one teacher for around 77,000 students. They cited 1,531 vacant professor positions in colleges and 1,098 vacancies in the Health Department. Shortages in rural health facilities, the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and the promise of 16 medical colleges also featured in their criticism.

Dalit welfare, scholarships, political representation, the absence of a Dalit Deputy Chief Minister and cases of atrocities against Dalits were other issues they raised. They also questioned the government's record on securing justice in sacrilege cases.

AAP Ticket Tensions

The resignations have brought fresh focus to tensions inside the Punjab AAP unit. The differences have centred on constituency appointments and the party’s electoral planning.

AAP recently appointed Ranjodh Hadana as in-charge for Sanaur. It also named former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Surjit Singh Rakhra as in-charge of Samana.

Those moves led to speculation that AAP was weighing replacement candidates in both constituencies. That, in turn, raised the prospect of the sitting MLAs being sidelined.

Sharp Attacks Follow

Punjab AAP president Aman Arora hit back and accused the BJP of accommodating leaders expelled by AAP. In a post on X, he said the party had never hesitated to act against leaders involved in corruption or working against Punjab’s interests. Referring to the rape allegations against Pathanmajra, Arora said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had sent him to jail.

Senior BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also posted on X after the resignations. Writing in Hindi, “The picture has just begun,” he hinted at more political movement in the ruling party.

The developments come as Punjab’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 Assembly elections. With AAP announcing its first list of 40 candidates and the BJP inducting three former AAP leaders, the defections mark an early shift in the state’s electoral landscape.

The exits could add to the pressure on the ruling AAP as it seeks a second consecutive term, while the BJP looks to strengthen its presence in Punjab ahead of the polls.