Amid Punjab meet, Kejriwal keeps focus on Delhi polls

NEW DELHI: Even as it initiated talks with the miffed leadership of the Punjab unit on Sunday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been asking its volunteers to stay focussed on the Delhi government and the likely bypolls in the national capital.

Kejriwal’s apology to Bikram Majithia last week triggered a slew of resignations from party leaders in Punjab who claimed that the leader had kept them in the dark over the matter. The Lok Insaf Party too called off its collaboration with the party, reducing the AAP strength to 20 in the Punjab assembly.

ET has learnt that while the party leadership, including Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia (who was only recently appointed the coordinator for Punjab) met with about eight MLAs from Punjab on Sunday. The message being sent across the ranks is that all energies need to remain focussed on Delhi.


With the Election commission dismissing 20 of its MLAs over charges of holding offices-of-profit, the party is staring at a threat of losing its strength in the Delhi Assembly where it holds 64 out of 70 MLAs. An AAP MLA on condition of anonymity said that the only way to resolve the deadlock would be to award independence to the state unit as the state could arrange funds and party structures as demanded by the conditions in Punjab have always been ‘at odds’ with the interests of the Delhi leadership.

With Kejriwal expected to visit Hisar next week, the party unit in Punjab has expressed its concerns over Kejriwal’s stance on the Sutlej Yamuna Canal to the party leadership.