Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has called a Cabinet meeting on February 10, after a gap of over four months. The meeting is scheduled after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wraps up the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5 and the results are declared on February 8. The last Cabinet meeting was held on October 5. Initially, the government had planned the next meeting for February 5, the day after the Delhi elections. However, it was later rescheduled to February 10, a Monday, after the results. Sources said the meeting was originally set for February 6 but was postponed on Wednesday. “It was decided that they will celebrate AAP’s victory in Delhi during the Cabinet meeting, as the results would be out by then,” a source said. The Punjab government held only five Cabinet meetings last year—on March 9, August 14, August 29, September 5, and October 5. The ruling AAP has been busy with election campaigns throughout the year. In January, the party remained occupied with the Delhi campaign, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has been in Delhi for a week. He briefly returned to Punjab on Republic Day to address a function in Patiala before heading back. Several key decisions have been awaiting Cabinet approval in Punjab. The state government had to reject the Centre’s draft Agriculture Marketing Policy but could not hold an Assembly session for a unanimous resolution. Since a Cabinet nod is required to convene a session, the government simply wrote to the Centre rejecting the policy. Punjab has been in election mode since March 16, when the model code of conduct came into effect for the Lok Sabha elections. The state voted in the last phase on June 1, following a two-and-a-half-month-long election period. Ten days after the Lok Sabha results, the Jalandhar (West) by-election was announced, imposing a fresh code of conduct in Jalandhar district until July 10. In September, the announcement of panchayat elections triggered another phase of electoral activity in over 13,000 villages. Meanwhile, Punjab’s political leadership, except for the Akalis, was busy campaigning in Haryana for the October 5 Assembly elections. On October 15, the day Punjab finally held its panchayat elections, the Election Commission of India announced by-elections in four Assembly segments—Gidderbaha, Barnala, Chabbewal, and Dera Baba Nanak. The by-elections took place on November 20, followed by municipal elections in December. With elections behind them, the state government is now set to hold its long-overdue Cabinet meeting.
