Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party’s victory in the Ludhiana West seat of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab politics has definitely added a new energy, but will the party get success in the 2027 assembly elections in this rhythm? AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said after this victory that next time the party can win more than 100 seats. But with this claim, many questions have also arisen, does Ludhiana’s victory represent the whole of Punjab? Can Congress and BJP come back again and make a comeback again?

In 2022, when the Aam Aadmi Party formed a government in Punjab with a majority, the Congress was struggling with internal discord and leadership crisis. The Akali Dal and the BJP alliance were also scattered. The Aam Aadmi Party benefited from this political emptiness. But after running the government for three years, the party can now face the challenge of anti-incumbency. Although Kejriwal considers it a pro-incumbency, the ground report says something else.

Factionalism in Congress still remains intact

Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu lost in the Ludhiana by -election. He took responsibility for the defeat but also raised questions on the state leadership. Ashu says that Congress President Raja Wading and Opposition Leader Pratap Bajwa kept distance from the election campaign while he should have come. It is clear from this factionalism that there is still a lack of solidarity in the Congress, which can also harm the party in 2027.

Looking at the figures, Ashu lost to Sanjeev Arora by 10,637 votes this time, while the last time the difference was 7,512. BJP candidate Jeevan Gupta got 20,323 votes, which is just 4 thousand less than Ashu. These indications are that the combat can become triangular and it will not be easy to cross any party 100.

Dream of ‘100 cross’ is not easy

Kejriwal’s claim is confident, but the ground truth is that the politics of Punjab is very complex. The formula that runs in Delhi does not run in Punjab. The ethnic and regional equations here are different. By 2027, both Congress and BJP are trying to bring themselves into a strong position. In such a situation, the claim of ‘100 cross’ for any party will be too early.