Kejriwal Hints at Early Punjab Polls, Names Bhagwant Mann as AAP's CM Face

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday triggered political speculation by claiming that the Punjab Assembly elections may be held in November 2026 , instead of their scheduled timeline of February 2027. He also declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the party's chief ministerial face for the next election.

Kejriwal made the remarks during a roadshow in Bathinda , attended by Mann, Manish Sisodia and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora, following AAP's strong performance in the recent civic polls. The party won 958 of 1,977 wards and secured mayoral posts in Bathinda, Barnala, Moga and Batala.

Claiming that he had received information about a possible advancement of the polls, Kejriwal urged party workers to prepare for an early contest and work towards ensuring Mann's return as chief minister. However, he did not provide any official basis for the claim, and there has been no indication from the Election Commission about advancing the elections.

Kejriwal credited AAP's civic poll success to the Mann government's "honest governance" and welfare measures, including free electricity, health insurance and financial assistance schemes. He said the electoral results reflected public satisfaction with the government's performance after four years in office.

Addressing the gathering, Mann alleged that the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal had worked together during the municipal elections to defeat AAP but were rejected by voters. He said the verdict reaffirmed public faith in honest politics and pledged continued efforts for farmers, youth and other sections of society.

While opposition parties did not immediately respond to Kejriwal's early-election claim, analysts viewed the remarks as an attempt to keep AAP's organisation election-ready and build momentum for a second consecutive term in Punjab.