Congress' Sukhjinder Randhawa predicts mid-term polls in Punjab amid AAP crisis

Congress MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday predicted mid-term elections in the state, citing the possibility of AAP MLAs leaving the party in large numbers following its defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to meet Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, state ministers, and party MLAs in Delhi on Tuesday.

This meeting follows AAP's significant loss in Delhi and growing speculation about internal unrest within its Punjab unit.

Commenting on the impact of the Delhi elections on Punjab, Randhawa told reporters, "He had said that 'if I am corrupt, don't vote for me.' Now Delhiites have put their stamp, and Kejriwal has lost badly. One supremo says that no one is honest except him, his deputy CM (Manish Sisodia) lost, his jail minister lost."

#WATCH | Delhi: Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa says, "... This CM will not work in Punjab anymore. Punjab's condition, economy, law and order situation is the worst... Now they (AAP) have understood that their work is finished in Delhi... In Punjab, there will be mid-term… pic.twitter.com/ELy54yvZzx

— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2025

Taking a dig at AAP's leadership, he added, "Their (AAP) meetings are taking place in Delhi, Kejriwal should have gone there (Punjab). Several of their MLAs are in contact with different parties. They will fall in such a manner and a number of people will leave the party. I would like to urge the high command that we desist from taking their MLAs and ministers."

When asked about reports suggesting that AAP MLAs were in touch with the BJP, Randhawa pointed to Mann's long-standing connection with Delhi. "If they are in touch with them, I think Punjab will be harmed in the future," he said.

Predicting political instability, he stated, "There will be mid-term polls. If a few leaders go to the BJP, then there will be bypolls. Bhagwant Mann has no control... So it is likely that there will be mid-term polls. If they (AAP MLAs) go, they will come in the Congress because the BJP has no future in Punjab."

Criticizing the Mann-led government, Randhawa asserted that Punjab needs a government that prioritizes the welfare of its people. "I need to ask Bhagwant Mann that there have been 12 hand-grenade attacks in Punjab, what has he done about it?" he questioned.