2024 on mind, Punjab AAP begins performance post-mortem

Ruchika M Khanna

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Chandigarh, December 9

A day after the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll results, a post-mortem of the performance of all Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers, MLAs and office-bearers of the party unit in the state has begun.

The report card of all functionaries in the party and in the government is expected to be presented at the meeting of party’s national executive scheduled for December 18 in Delhi. As the party has started the exercise, speculation is rife about changes being made in the party’s organisational structure. A reshuffle in the state cabinet could also be effected after this meeting.

Gearing up for General Election

• Speculation is rife about changes being made in the party’s organisational structure and a reshuffle in the state cabinet could also be effected
• Sources said changes were possible as these were being done keeping in mind the party’s grandiose plans for the 2024 General Election

Sources in the party said the changes to be effected now were being done keeping in mind the party’s grandiose plans for the 2024 General Election.

“The party has already achieved the status of being a national party, after securing 12.91 per cent vote share and winning five seats in Gujarat. To give wings to the party’s national ambitions, the party wants to choose the very best to carry on its agenda, which can then be presented to the people nationally in the run up to the parliamentary elections. Thus we are expecting changes in the political and administrative set-up,” a senior party leader said.

It is learnt that there would be separate sessions during the national executive meeting with elected representatives and with the party office-bearers. The latter will also be energised for the local body elections in the state scheduled for early next year.

The party is also looking at improvement in various areas of governance here, especially in terms of law and order. Aware of how sacrilege incidents of 2015 have politically damaged the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who were then in power and have been witnessing a political drubbing in subsequent elections, the party leadership is concerned about similar incidents being reported again.

Thus the state government has started raising the demand for bringing in a law against those indulging in sacrilege. It is in this direction that CM Bhagwant Mann met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to press for the need of such a law.

Though the party is aware of the political advantage of giving 300 units of free power and reverting to the old pension scheme in 2024, the party top leadership is also expected to give some direction to the state leadership on effectively controlling crime in the state, which has become a common talking point in the state.