With just eight months remaining before the Punjab Assembly elections, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has intensified its preparations for the crucial contest, focusing its campaign and messaging on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
In contrast to the 2022 elections, when party leader Arvind Kejriwal dominated the campaign, the AAP’s attempt to unite behind Mann for the 2027 elections appears to represent a significant change in its approach.
The party’s narrative, outreach initiatives, and slogans all reflect this shift. It was carried out at a politically delicate time, as Mann has been the target of persistent criticism from the opposition parties amid a growing conflict between the AAP administration and the Sikh clergy over a recently passed anti-sacrilege law and a purportedly CM-related “sacrilege video.”
Because of the purported sacrilege video, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj called CM Mann “Guru dokhi” (anti-Guru) and “Khalsa panth virodhi” (anti-Khalsa panth) on June 15. The highest temporal seat of Sikhs, the Akal Takht, accused Mann of deceiving it by stating the video was phoney after forensic tests revealed it was “authentic” and not AI-generated.
Rejecting the claim as a “politically motivated conspiracy,” However, Mann insisted that he was not the guy in the video and accused some religious leaders of defaming him by “indulging in false propaganda at the behest of their political bosses.”
The opposition parties, including the Congress, BJP, and Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), targeted Mann and demanded his resignation as a result of the Akal Takht’s criticism of the chief minister.
However, it appears that the AAP has intensified its efforts to position Mann as the spokesperson for both its administration and its 2027 election campaign.
2022 conflict
Almost much of the AAP’s campaign for the Assembly elections in February 2022 was centred on then-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s pledge to implement the “Delhi model” in Punjab. The party developed catchphrases like “Ek mauka Kejriwal nu” (one chance for Kejriwal) and “Kejriwal-Kejriwal, saara Punjab tere naal” (Kejriwal, all of Punjab is with you) months before the polls. All around the state, cities and villages had these messages painted on their walls.
The slogan was changed to “Kejriwal-Bhagwant Mann nu dewange ek mauka” (we will give one opportunity to Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann) after Kejriwal named Mann as the party’s candidate for chief minister in January 2022. Nonetheless, Kejriwal continued to lead the party’s campaign, traversing Punjab on the Delhi model of administration.
The AAP swept the polls and won 92 of 117 seats, compared to the then-incumbent Congress’s 18 seats, thanks to the plan.
Kejriwal declared in Bathinda on June 12 of this year that Mann would continue to represent the party as chief minister in the 2027 elections. The AAP therefore came up with a new slogan, “Punjab da eko naara, Bhagwant Mann dobara” (Punjab has just one slogan: Bhagwant Mann again), which has been used on campaign materials ever since during its “Lok Milni” or public outreach programs around the state.
“This is a big step. A BJP spokesperson stated, “The AAP is displaying such banners at its Lok Milni events involving its local leaders and MLAs, while the Opposition is unitedly seeking Mann’s resignation.”
The AAP’s social media platforms have also begun to portray Mann as the party’s tallest leader in Punjab, highlighting him in videos that showcase the accomplishments of his government over the course of its more than four-year term, such as distributing ration kits to people, cleaning canals, and giving appointment letters to job seekers.
With the slogan, “Tu ek passe Mann kalla, duje sare kathe ho gaye aa” (you stand alone, Mann, while all others have come together), one of these videos mocks the opposition leaders for having “ganged up” against Mann. Mann is seen socialising with crowds, taking photos, and portraying himself as a lone figure against all opposition leaders, such as BJP leader and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, state Congress chairman Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
With the slogan, “Tu ek passe Mann kalla, duje sare kathe ho gaye aa” (you stand alone, Mann, while all others have come together), one of these videos mocks the opposition leaders for having “ganged up” against Mann. Mann is seen socialising with crowds, taking photos, and portraying himself as a lone figure against all opposition leaders, such as BJP leader and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, state Congress chairman Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The opposition parties have been accusing the AAP’s central leadership of operating the Mann administration from Delhi since 2022. Therefore, it seems that the party is attempting to counter this view and highlight its local leadership by making Mann the focal point of its 2027 election campaign.
In a sense, the change started with the AAP’s campaign slogan, “Sansad vich vi Bhagwant Mann, khushhaal Punjab te vadhegi shaan” (Bhagwant Mann in Parliament too; Punjab will thrive and its pride will rise), during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, only three of the state’s thirteen Lok Sabha seats were won by the party.
Following the Kejriwal administration’s defeat in the February 2025 Delhi elections, Mann’s standing within the AAP appears to have been strengthened. Mann has remained the party’s top leader in the state, even though Manish Sisodia, Kejriwal’s deputy, was later appointed Punjab’s party chief.
The AAP’s attempt to wager on Mann in the 2027 elections, according to the opposition leaders, is “more a compulsion rather than a strategy.”
“They (AAP) have no choice but to project Mann as their leader as he is the sitting CM,” stated SAD leader Daljeet Singh Cheema. Nonetheless, many are observing how a political party is opposing the Akal Takht.
Sukhbir Badal declared on July 18 that the SAD would form a “Dharam Yudh Morcha” on July 19 under the “patronage” of the Akal Takht in an effort to remove Mann from his position as chief minister due to the sacrilege video controversy.
“AAP in general and Mann in particular have challenged the Akal Takht, which has never been done in the past,” claimed Pritpal Singh Baliawal, spokesperson for the Punjab BJP. In the polls, people will teach them a lesson.
Bhulath Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a Congress leader and MLA, also criticised Mann for allegedly “challenging” the Akal Takht and warned of the consequences.
