AAP’s big Punjab shake-up ahead of Assembly elections: Bhagwant Mann, Cheema, Ghuman and Bibhav Kumar get key roles
PTC Web Desk: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made key changes to its top organisational body in Punjab as the state moves closer to the Assembly elections.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema have now been included in the party’s 10-member Political Affairs Committee (PAC), which takes important decisions on the party’s political affairs.
Former Delhi minister and Punjab co-in charge Satyendar Jain has also been added to the committee.
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Bhagwant Mann was earlier a special invitee to the PAC because he was the Chief Minister. He will now be a permanent member of the panel, giving him a more direct role in decisions related to the party’s Punjab strategy.
The reshuffle has also brought changes to the AAP’s National Executive. Punjab party president Aman Arora, Jagraon MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke and Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur are no longer part of the 23-member body.
They have been replaced by Rajbir Ghuman, an Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Mann, and Bibhav Kumar. Both are involved in administrative work for the party and government in Punjab.
Ghuman’s inclusion comes at a time when his name has figured in an Enforcement Directorate investigation linked to an alleged cash-for-transfer and land fraud case in the state.
The latest appointments are significant as AAP prepares for a tough electoral battle in Punjab. The party won 92 of the 117 Assembly seats in the Punjab Assembly elections in 2022 and formed the government under Bhagwant Mann.
However, the political situation has changed since then. The Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, along with other Akali groups, are looking to challenge the ruling party. AAP is also facing criticism over issues such as unemployment, drugs, employee protests and the state’s financial situation.
- PTC NEWS
