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After Rajya Sabha defections, AAP puts up a united face at closed-door brainstorm
Following the defection of seven Rajya Sabha members to the BJP, the AAP showcased a united front with a state-level poll strategy session in Jalandhar. The event focused on grassroots feedback and 2027 elections, while CM Mann announced village-level 'sath' meetings; opposition criticised the display as damage-control.
Why It Matters
The defections reduce AAP's parliamentary presence from Punjab, its only governing state, and the party seeks to project unity and recalibrate ground-level strategy ahead of the 2027 polls.
Timeline
4 Events
Mann announces village-level 'sath' program starting April 30
April 30, 2026
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that he and other ministers would begin holding village-level 'saths' starting April 30, beginning in Sangrur district. The events are designed to allow direct communication with the public with fewer security restrictions than state-level events.
Punjab Congress chief accuses AAP of staging a damage-control show over Jalandhar meeting
April 29, 2026
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring criticised the Jalandhar meeting as a desperate attempt to revive morale within the party cadre, calling it a staged show and saying the public has seen through AAP’s promises and governance failures.
AAP holds state-level poll strategy session in Jalandhar
April 29, 2026
AAP held a state-level poll strategy session at the CT Institute of Engineering in Jalandhar. The event was chaired by Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia and state unit president Aman Arora, and attended by AAP MLAs from across Punjab and about 1,000 block observers, along with several senior cabinet ministers. The meeting included morale-boosting activities and a review of observers’ work. Attendees noted there was little discussion of the Rajya Sabha defections. The session was described as routine and aimed at gathering grassroots feedback for the 2027 elections. There were security restrictions, including bans on mobile phones and recording devices; some MLAs left after the first session due to prior engagements. CM Bhagwant Mann and Sisodia addressed the attendees virtually, and Aman Arora stated that block observers conducted a detailed survey across 117 assembly constituencies.
Seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs defect to BJP; six from Punjab
April 24, 2026
On April 24, 2026, seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs quit to join the BJP. Six of the defectors represented Punjab — Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta — leaving AAP with three RS members in the Upper House and raising questions about the party’s stability in Punjab, its only governing state.