CHANDIGARH/SANGRUR, AUGUST 18: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a major organizational boost in Sangrur district after multiple senior Congress leaders, elected representatives, and local office-bearers formally joined the ruling party in Chandigarh. Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia welcomed the new members, framing the move as evidence of growing political support for the state government’s governance model.
“Leaders sitting in other political parties who genuinely love Punjab are increasingly looking towards the Aam Aadmi Party as a ray of hope,” Sisodia stated during the induction event.
The senior leader asserted that administrative achievements under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann have created a strong impression across party lines.
“Arvind Kejriwal planted a sapling which Bhagwant Singh Mann has nurtured and grown tremendously in four years in Punjab,” Sisodia stated, pointing to agricultural water supply, educational reforms, healthcare upgrades, free electricity, and financial support for women as key drivers.
Speaking on behalf of the incoming leaders, former PPCC member Sanmeek Singh Hanry expressed dissatisfaction with the internal functioning of the Congress, citing nepotism and neglect of long-serving workers.
“We are third-generation Congress leaders, but increasingly felt ignored and sidelined,” Hanry stated, adding that party workers felt their ground-level efforts were no longer valued.
Hanry heavily criticized senior Congress leadership over family-centric political preferences while praising the local development work carried out by AAP Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal.
“It is deeply unfortunate that senior Congress leaders are making claims about four tickets going to a single family while ignoring workers who have spent decades working on the ground,” Hanry stated.
The joining ceremony was attended by key political figures, including MLA Barinder Kumar Goyal and Punjab AAP Media In-charge Baltej Pannu, with new entrants affirming their commitment to supporting the state’s progress under the ruling party.
