Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has said that the BJP is forming the government in Punjab, following the decision of three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Speaking at a press conference, Saini criticised both the Congress and the AAP over what he described as unfulfilled election promises. He said, "The BJP is forming the government in Punjab. The people of Punjab have made it clear. They know that all the promises made by the Congress during its tenure turned out to be false, which is why they voted it out. The promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party also turned out to be completely false. We are calling them completely false because only three months are left before they seek votes again in the Assembly elections. They have now made promises to the youth as well. Did they give any figures? The Congress had at least promised to provide employment to one person in every household, though it did not specify any figures. Making promises is easy, but fulfilling them requires effort.”
The defections come as political parties begin preparing for the next Punjab Assembly elections, scheduled for 2027.
VIDEO | Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on three Punjab MLAs resigning from AAP and joining the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections, says, "The BJP is forming the government in Punjab. The people of Punjab have made it clear. They know that all the promises made by the Congress during its tenure turned out to be false, which is why they voted it out. The promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party also turned out to be completely false. We are calling them completely false because only three months are left before they seek votes again in the Assembly elections. They have now made promises to the youth as well. Did they give any figures? The Congress had at least promised to provide employment to one person in every household, though it did not specify any figures. Making promises is easy, but fulfilling them requires effort." (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 3, 2026
Three AAP MLAs join the BJP
The three legislators who joined the BJP are Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who represented Amritsar North, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, who represented Samana, and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who represented Sanaur in Patiala district.
They joined the BJP at the party's headquarters in New Delhi on Nov 2, in the presence of senior BJP leaders, including Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and the party's Punjab in-charge Satish Poonia.
Pathanmajra and Jouramajra had resigned from the AAP's primary membership on Nov 1. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh announced his resignation from the Punjab Legislative Assembly on Nov 2, before joining the BJP.
Why did the MLAs leave AAP?
The legislators have criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government over several issues, including the state's rising debt, the government's failure to fulfil promises relating to minimum support price (MSP) for crops, alleged shortages of teachers in government schools, and the continuing drug menace.
They have also raised concerns about law and order, corruption and the government's handling of various public issues. These are allegations and criticisms made by the departing legislators, rather than independently established findings in every instance.
The defections followed AAP's announcement of its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The party had also appointed new constituency in-charges in Sanaur and Samana, prompting speculation that the two sitting MLAs might not be renominated.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, announced his resignation through a Facebook post, saying that he had submitted his resignation to Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
Singh had been suspended by the AAP in June 2025 for alleged anti-party activities. The suspension followed his criticism of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau's action against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested in a disproportionate-assets case.
The Punjab Assembly Speaker subsequently accepted the resignations of Singh and Pathanmajra. Jouramajra, however, had not resigned as an MLA at the time of the reports. The AAP also sought action under the anti-defection law against the legislators, and the Speaker issued Jouramajra a notice seeking his response.
AAP responds to the defections
The AAP has criticised the BJP for inducting the three legislators. Punjab AAP president Aman Arora accused the BJP of lacking a leadership base and political agenda in the state and alleged that it was relying on leaders who had been suspended or distanced by their former party.
AAP also maintained that the departure of a few legislators would not affect its support base in Punjab. Party media in-charge Baltej Pannu said, “AAP is not going to be affected by the departure of two or three individuals. Our party stands on its principles and its commitment to Punjab. No individual is bigger than the organisation.”
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