Punjab political chess: Probe agencies under BJP and AAP target rivals, is Sukhbir Badal next?

As Punjab heads towards the 2027 Assembly elections, investigative agencies functioning under the BJP-led Central government and the AAP state government are actively targeting political rivals.

Sources have revealed that more politicians, especially leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), could be in serious trouble in the near future, particularly in the long-pending sacrilege cases.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), under the BJP-led Centre, has been conducting raids on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and their associates.

On the other hand, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, controlled by the AAP government, has intensified probes against Congress leaders and is likely to initiate action against several other senior Congress leaders on charges of corruption and disproportionate assets. The ED has targeted two prominent AAP leaders in quick succession, while the state Vigilance Bureau continues its scrutiny of former Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple premises linked to Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora (AAP MLA from Ludhiana West), his family members (including son Kavya Arora).

The raids, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), covered around 13 locations across Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, focusing on alleged financial irregularities and land-related issues. Arora, who is currently on an official visit to Europe, has said he would fully cooperate with the agency. Just two days earlier, on April 15, the ED had raided properties linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal and his family’s business entities, including premises connected to Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, residences in Jalandhar, and sites in Gurugram. These raids were also conducted under FEMA over alleged fund mismanagement. AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, have strongly criticised the back-to-back actions as “politically motivated” and an attempt by the BJP to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 polls.

Vigilance Bureau acts against Congress

The state’s Vigilance Bureau has sought sanction to investigate former Congress Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in a fresh case related to alleged irregularities in the leasing of a Punjab Tourism property in Goa at throwaway rates during his tenure. This is in addition to ongoing disproportionate assets cases against him. The AAP government recently appointed senior IPS officer Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan (1992-batch) as the new head of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.

This change has fuelled speculation of accelerated action against Channi as well as several other Congress leaders on charges of corruption and disproportionate assets.

Trouble brewing for Akali Dal in sacrilege cases

Sources reveal there is trouble for the Shiromani Akali Dal. The Punjab Assembly recently passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in a special session, prescribing stringent punishments — including life imprisonment — for sacrilege offences. Sources indicate that with this amendment, fresh momentum is expected in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege cases and related incidents (Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing). SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Akali leaders are likely to face renewed scrutiny and possible legal trouble soon. Some Congress leaders may also come under the scanner in these cases.