With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has restructured its 10-member Political Affairs Committee (PAC), its highest decision-making body. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and former Delhi minister and Punjab co-incharge Satyendar Jain have been inducted into the committee. The changes come as the party prepares for a closely watched electoral contest in the state.

Mann was earlier a special invitee to the PAC by virtue of being Chief Minister, but he has now become a permanent member. His inclusion gives the Punjab government’s leadership a formal position in the party’s top decision-making body. Cheema’s induction is also significant as he is among the senior-most members of the state Cabinet, while Jain’s appointment is expected to strengthen coordination between the Punjab unit and the party’s central leadership.

The AAP has also constituted a new 23-member National Executive. The panel includes Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty to Mann, and Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Ghuman’s name has recently emerged in the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into an alleged cash-for-transfer and land fraud case. The new National Executive also includes senior party leaders such as Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain.

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Several leaders have been dropped from the National Executive, including Punjab AAP president Aman Arora, Jagraon MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke and Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur. The new body also has five special invitees — Ajay Dutt, Chaitar Vasava, Imran Hussain, Mehraj Malik and Venzy Viegas. Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, who were earlier members of the PAC, are no longer with the party after joining the BJP.

The restructuring assumes significance for AAP as Punjab remains the party’s only state government after it lost power in Delhi. The party is expected to focus on its governance record while addressing issues including unemployment, drugs and fiscal constraints ahead of the polls. With Mann now having a permanent role in the PAC, the state leadership is set to have a more direct role in organisational strategy, candidate selection and campaign planning.

The changes followed the AAP’s 15th National Council meeting, which was held virtually on Wednesday with 330 members participating from across the country. During the meeting, Arvind Kejriwal was unanimously elected national convenor, while Pankaj Gupta was elected national secretary and N.D. Gupta was re-elected treasurer. Kejriwal also instructed party members to prepare for the upcoming Assembly elections, underlining the importance of Punjab in the party’s electoral strategy.

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