Mann again: Kejriwal announces CM face, hints at early elections

3 min readLudhianaJun 13, 2026 01:11 PM IST

AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP leader Manish Sisodia during a roadshow following the party's performance in Bhatinda Municipal Corporation Elections, in Bhatinda, Punjab. (@msisodia/X via PTI Photo)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday declared Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial face for the next Assembly elections, while also hinting that the state polls could be advanced and held as early as November this year.

Addressing a roadshow in Bathinda organised to celebrate AAP’s victory in the Municipal Corporation elections, Kejriwal urged party workers to begin preparations immediately and rally behind Mann for a second consecutive term.

“Is baar sambhavnayein hain ki Vidhan Sabha chunav November mein ho sakte hain. Ab sirf chaar mahine bache hain. Aap sabko sirf ek kaam karna hai, Bhagwant Mann ko dobara CM banana hai (There is a possibility that Assembly elections may be held in November this year. Only four months are left. You all have to do just one thing — make Bhagwant Mann Chief Minister again),” Kejriwal said.

The statement marks the clearest indication yet from the AAP leadership that Mann will lead the party in the next Punjab Assembly elections. While the party has consistently projected Mann as its tallest leader in the state, Kejriwal’s remarks amounted to an early endorsement of him as the chief ministerial candidate well ahead of the polls.

Praising Mann’s tenure, Kejriwal described him as an honest leader whose integrity remained unquestioned throughout his term.

“Punjab has got an honest Chief Minister in Bhagwant Mann. During his entire tenure, nobody could point a finger at him or his family. Otherwise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have unleashed ED and CBI teams after him. Bhagwant Mann is a staunchly honest Chief Minister,” he added.

Kejriwal also highlighted the AAP government’s welfare initiatives, including 300 units of free electricity for domestic consumers and the recently launched Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, under which health treatment worth up to Rs 10 lakh has been made available free of cost to beneficiaries.

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The roadshow was attended by Mann, AAP’s Punjab president Aman Arora, party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, Bathinda Mayor Padamjeet Singh Mehta, his father and AAP leader Amarjeet Singh Mehta, and several other party leaders. The leaders travelled through the city in an open tempo traveller and were greeted by party supporters at various points.

Targeting rival political parties, Kejriwal sought to draw sharp distinctions between AAP and its opponents.

“Punjab mein chaar hi parties hain. Ek ED party hai. Doosri beadbi-chitta party hai. (There are four parties in Punjab. One is ED, others are sacrilege and drugs parties),” he said.

“Teesri jhagda party hai, jinke neta aapas mein hi ladte rehte hain (Third is the fighting party, whose leaders keep quarrelling among themselves).”

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“Aur chauthi Aam Aadmi Party hai — aap ki apni party, logon ki party, kattar imaandaar party (And the fourth is the Aam Aadmi Party — your own party, the people’s party, the staunchly honest party),” he added.

Several political leaders, including Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress leaders, have recently advised party workers to begin election preparations, citing the possibility of an early poll schedule.