Punjab: Block committee elections, AAP-Congress ‘alliance’ sparks controversy

Punjab: A political uproar has erupted in Punjab following an “agreement” between the ruling AAP and the main opposition Congress party regarding the election of office bearers for block committees in Faridkot, Kotkapura, and Bagha Purana. In these block committees, the two parties—which are typically pitted against each other at the state level—appear to be working together as part of a strategy to prevent the SAD from seizing top positions. In Kotkapura, AAP councillors voted for the Congress candidate, paving the way for Congress’s election. In Faridkot, Congress helped an AAP member secure the block committee chairman position. In Bagha Purana, the AAP and Congress secured significant victories in Saturday’s re-election. Sarabjit Kaur of the ruling AAP was elected chairperson, while Congress candidate Charanjit Kaur won the vice-chairperson position. Following controversies in the initial election held on March 17, new elections were held under the supervision of a court-appointed commission. Fixed Match: Sukhbir
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal has called the development a “fixed match” and alleged that it signals a possible alliance between the AAP and Congress ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Neither party has announced a formal post-election alliance or issued an official statement on coordination. Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring downplayed the matter, calling it a “practical decision taken at the grassroots level” to ensure smooth functioning of block committees. He said, “I am at the forefront of speaking out against the ruling AAP.”
Local AAP leaders described the outcome as “local convergence” aimed at ensuring effective functioning of elected bodies. The development has drawn a sharp reaction from the BJP. Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar alleged that the local alliance was the result of state Congress chief Warring’s “tacit understanding” with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He pointed to Warring’s alleged divergence from the Congress’s stand on demanding a CBI probe into the suicide of a Punjab Warehousing Corporation official. With several municipal and local body elections scheduled for later this year, the block committee cases have sparked renewed debate over whether such selective understandings after the elections could signal a shift in political alignment in the state ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.