Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat on Wednesday issued an official statement debunking reports that Bhagwant Mann's cabinet is all set to undergo a major reshuffle. AAP's official statement reads, "It has come to our attention that there are rumors circulating that the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab is going to reshuffle their Ministers in response to the recent loss in the General elections. We would like to clarify that this information is false and is not coming from an official source."
What did the report say?
It was reported that Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday met AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail and following that it is said that the Punjab Government will undergo a major rejig. The reports claimed that four ministers can be changed in the Punjab Government. One seat has become vacant in this, while 3 ministers are included. Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, who lost the election from the Patiala seat, has been able to perform well in his assembly.
Similarly, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal managed to save his Ajnala seat and Laljit Singh his seat. While Gurmeet Singh Khudian lagged in Lambi's seat. Earlier, Chief Minister Bhagwant brainstormed on the reasons for losing in the meeting. Mann reportedly discussed the reasons with constituency-wise MLAs, leaders, and candidates. At the same time, the party's National General Secretary Dr. Sandeep Pathak also held a meeting with the MLAs.
This meeting is also being linked to the same reshuffle. Reports claimed that AAP is considering all the points including the results of the Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, the power of those ministers who could not perform well in their constituencies can also be reduced.
In the Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party has won only 3 out of 13 Lok Sabha seats. These include Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Sangrur, Malvinder Kang from Anandpur Sahib, and Rajkumar Chabbewal from Hoshiarpur. 4 ministers had to face defeat in the elections. Similarly, 3 MLAs had to face defeat.