Faultlines surface in AAP Punjab, raise fears of wider churn

In other words, the split in the party’s ranks in Rajya Sabha also brings to the fore long-standing tensions within the state unit. This would test AAP’s ability to retain cohesion in a unit that expanded rapidly and is controlled by the central leadership.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann slammed the rebel MPs as “gaddaar (traitors) of Punjab”, and said they left the party to “save their own skin”. Just about a week ago, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the premises of Ashok Mittal, the party’s Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier too, he had warned of a possible “Operation Lotus” in Punjab.

Mann Friday said such leaders “did not deserve to be even a sarpanch”. He said they had risen within AAP without grassroots struggle, accused the BJP of engineering defections and dared central agencies like the ED to act against him. “There was no currency in the world that could buy Bhagwant Mann,” he said.

Not many in the party were surprised or shocked when Chadha announced the exit from AAP along with Sandeep Pathak and Mittal. Several said the move was “expected”, though they didn’t anticipate four more would join them. It is the “magnitude” and scale of defection that is causing worries in the party. “We knew this would happen. It has been brewing for long,” said an AAP MLA from the Malwa region, requesting anonymity. “Chadha may not stop here. The party needs to be cautious. The BJP could explore the possibility of toppling the AAP government in Punjab,” the MLA said.

At the core of the current churn is what MLAs describe as a structural imbalance between AAP’s centralised decision-making model and the expectations of a large state unit that delivered a sweeping mandate in 2022. While the model enabled a tight control over strategy and messaging, it also concentrated power into a few hands, leaving sections of the party feeling excluded.

While Pathak, as the party in-charge before the Assembly polls, oversaw strategy and mobilisation, Chadha emerged as a key political figure with influence extending from candidate selection to governance. “He had considerable say in ticket allocation. Before the elections, tickets would often be announced a day after he was seen with a candidate. That reflected his importance within AAP,” said another MLA.

“There was even speculation that after coming to power, Arvind Kejriwal might eventually position him as Chief Minister. While that did not happen, he was widely perceived as a ‘super CM’ manning the governance, policies even as MLAs approached him for decisions, including transfers,” the MLA said.

Another MLA flagged a deficit in communication. “We have no real platform to express our concerns. We are told to remain silent. The leadership does not fully know what is happening on the ground,” he said. Some others said limited access to the leadership has created discontent, particularly among the party’s volunteer base.

“Disillusionment set in soon after AAP came to power. Volunteers felt sidelined. Of the seven Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, only two, Chadha and Pathak, had strong organisational backgrounds. Why were the others chosen? In subsequent bypolls, tickets were given to leaders imported from other parties instead of grassroots workers,” said the MLA.

An aide of Pathak claimed that his removal as Punjab in-charge only added to the friction. “He was not taken into confidence. Manish Sisodia was brought in after losing in Delhi. Pathak, who had worked extensively in Punjab, was suddenly replaced. There was anger building up and it has now erupted,” the aide said. Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Kang also underlined lack of communication within the party. “Sandeep Pathak told me no one contacted him during the last one year,” he said.

“We need to keep a close watch on our Lok Sabha MPs. There could be attempts to lure them as well,” said another legislator. AAP has three members in the Lok Sabha — Malvinder Singh Kang, Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

For the AAP leadership, the challenge now is two-fold: containing the immediate political fallout and preventing the perception of drift seeping into its rank and file. MLAs said they were awaiting a formal meeting with the leadership to assess the situation. “There is uncertainty and a sense of unease. We do not know who might be in touch with the BJP. We hope to get clarity when we meet senior leaders soon,” another MLA said.