Sun Feb 09 14:49:03 UTC 2025: ## Congress Emboldened by AAP’s Delhi Defeat, Eyes Punjab Power Grab

**Chandigarh, February 9, 2025** – The resounding defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly elections has injected fresh energy into the Punjab Congress, the state’s principal opposition party. Congress leaders are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on the ruling AAP government in Punjab, highlighting its perceived failures and broken promises.

Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal declared that the Delhi results expose AAP’s broken promises and will exacerbate existing unrest within the party’s ranks, potentially leading to its downfall in Punjab. She also suggested that several AAP MLAs, many of whom are former Congress members, are considering switching allegiances.

Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa went further, claiming that as many as 30 AAP MLAs are in contact with the Congress.

The AAP’s key unmet promises in Punjab, made during the 2022 election campaign, include MSP for 22 crops, ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance for women, eradication of the drug menace, and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. These unfulfilled pledges, coupled with the Delhi defeat, are expected to increase pressure on the AAP government in Punjab.

The Congress, along with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are poised to capitalize on the AAP’s setbacks, ramping up criticism ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The political fallout from the Delhi elections is anticipated to significantly impact the AAP’s standing in Punjab.

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