'Bhagwant Mann could be next Eknath Shinde': Congress' Partap Bajwa predicts AAP split in Punjab

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) facing a crushing defeat in Delhi, Punjab Congress Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa has made a stunning claim—predicting a split in AAP’s Punjab unit and suggesting that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could follow the path of Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde. Bajwa claimed that over 30 AAP MLAs are in touch with Congress and are ready to switch sides.

"AAP MLAs have been in touch with me for a long time. When I was the state chief, 22 Congress leaders were denied tickets by Amarinder Singh, and they were given tickets by AAP. They know they are not coming back," Bajwa said while speaking with India Today News Director Rahul Kanwal. He added that AAP's Punjab unit is already at odds with its Delhi leadership. "There is a battle between Punjab AAP and Delhi AAP. Bhagwant Mann is in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The first passenger to become Eknath Shinde when this Maharashtra plane lands in Chandigarh will be Bhagwant Mann."

Bajwa pointed to recent remarks by Punjab AAP president Aman Arora as evidence of growing friction within the party. Arora said that it was "not necessary" for Punjab to have a Sikh as chief minister, a statement Bajwa believes was engineered by the party’s top leadership to prepare for Kejriwal’s possible relocation to Punjab. "They are already pitching for Kejriwal to land in Punjab," Bajwa alleged, suggesting that Kejriwal had foreseen AAP’s poor performance in Delhi.

He further claimed that AAP’s government in Punjab is on shaky ground. "Every single AAP MLA knows they have no future now. A lot of MLAs have been in touch with me for more than a year. The present government at the Centre will not sit idle after its victory in Delhi. A lot of things are going to happen now," Bajwa warned.

AAP’s internal troubles come in the wake of its humiliating defeat in Delhi. The BJP is set to win 48 of 70 seats, and AAP 22. Arvind Kejriwal himself lost the prestigious New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by 4,089 votes — a defeat that has further shaken the party’s confidence.