Following Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) heavy defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, party chief Arvind Kejriwal has convened a meeting with AAP MLAs and ministers in Punjab, the only state where the party remains in power. The meeting, set for Tuesday, comes amid claims from Punjab Congress leaders that they are in contact with nearly 30 AAP legislators.

Reacting to AAP’s loss in Delhi—where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended its 27-year-long absence from power and dismantled AAP’s decade-long rule—Punjab’s Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, asserted that he had been in touch with AAP MLAs for an extended period. He claimed that these legislators recognized their party’s declining trajectory, comparing it to a "one-way ticket to the moon."

Opposition parties have also hinted at possible defections within AAP’s Punjab unit and a potential restructuring of the state government.

In Punjab’s 2022 Assembly elections, AAP secured a decisive victory by winning 92 out of 117 seats, displacing the Congress. The Congress claimed 18 seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal managed to secure three.

Bajwa criticized AAP’s governance in Punjab, stating, "The people have now seen the reality of the so-called ‘Kattar Imaandar’ party. Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made grand promises to mislead voters in 2022." He further suggested that AAP’s downfall had begun, citing the Delhi results as an indication of its declining influence.

Speculation has also arisen regarding Kejriwal’s potential bid for the Ludhiana Assembly seat, which is currently vacant. Both Congress and BJP leaders have suggested that he may be considering a more direct role in Punjab’s government, possibly even eyeing the Chief Minister’s position.

In the recent Delhi Assembly elections, AAP suffered a significant setback, winning only 22 of the 70 seats it previously dominated. Several key leaders, including Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Awadh Ojha, and Somnath Bharti, lost their seats. The only exception was Atishi, who managed to retain hers.

As the political landscape shifts, all eyes are now on Kejriwal’s next move in Punjab, where AAP faces growing internal and external challenges.