After Delhi Drubbing, AAP Faces Acid Test In Punjab, Its Last Bastion

Delhi assembly poll outcome has come as an opportunity for the opposition parties in the state ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.

Chandigarh:After its Delhi drubbing, the Aam Aadmi Party will have to work out a "Punjab-specific model of development" to boost its chances in the only state where it is now in power following the rejection of the "Delhi model" in the assembly polls in the national capital, according to political observers.

They feel after the Arvind-Kejriwal-led outfit's rout in the Delhi polls, the opposition parties are likely to turn more aggressive and assertive to take on the AAP in Punjab where the state assembly polls are due in 2027.

The BJP will form its government in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years as it won 48 of the 70 seats in the Assembly polls. Political observers said after the AAP's debacle in Delhi, it now faces a challenge in keeping the party consolidated in Punjab and improve its performance in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power in Punjab in 2022 by winning 92 of a total 117 assembly seats. It had come to power while showcasing the "Delhi model of development", promising freebies like free electricity, Rs 1,000 per month for women, better health care facilities and improvement in the education sector.

Ronki Ram, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chair professor of political science at Panjab University, here said the people of the national capital rejected the AAP's "Delhi model" as they did not find it sustainable.

And in Punjab, the same model is being followed by the party, he said. "If people of Delhi did not support that model then why would people of Punjab support it," said Ronki Ram.

Pramod Kumar, chairperson of the Institute for Development and Communication said, "they (AAP) promised to implement the Delhi model of development in Punjab. What fate that model has met in Delhi, the same fate it will meet in Punjab." "They will have to plan a Punjab-specific model. The lesson is that the Delhi model will not function in Punjab," Kumar said.

According to political observers, the Delhi assembly poll outcome has not only thrown a challenge for the AAP but has also come as an opportunity for the opposition parties in the state ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.

"Now, Punjab will come into an election mode and the AAP will be shifting its total focus in Punjab. For AAP, this is the challenge of how to keep the party consolidated which means to keep its MLAs together so that they could not be poached by any party.

"The second challenge is how to give a better performance. There will be a direct intervention of party leader Arvind Kejriwal in day-to-day affairs to improve the party's performance in the state," Kumar said.

As far as the opposition parties are concerned, it needs to be seen how the Akalis and the BJP work out some kind of alliance otherwise both of them stand no chance fighting alone, Kumar said.

It is for the Congress to see how to come into a resurgence and assertive mode in Punjab, he further said. Before the Delhi assembly polls, the entire Punjab unit of AAP, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs aggressively took part in poll campaigns in favour of the party candidates in Delhi.

They bragged about works done in Punjab, including giving 50,000 government jobs, free 300 units of electricity opening of 850 'mohalla clinics' and buying a private thermal power plant. Mann, who was the party's star campaigner, took out roadshows in Delhi and showcased his government's works to seek votes for the AAP candidates.

The opposition parties have been targeting the AAP government in Punjab over a host of issues, including alleged "deteriorating" law and order, rising debt and the drug menace.

Following the defeat of the AAP, the opposition parties in Punjab slammed the ruling party in Punjab and said the people of Delhi "exposed the lies and deceit" of the Arvind-Kejriwal-led outfit in the Delhi assembly polls. They lashed out at the Mann government, alleging "misgovernance" and "deceiving voters with false promises.

The AAP has suffered the second setback since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party could win only three Lok Sabha seats out of a total 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab.