After winning the Ludhiana West bypoll, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is getting ready to expand its Cabinet this week.
Sanjeev Arora, the newly elected MLA from Ludhiana West, will be made a minister. This was announced earlier by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal during the Assembly elections. Along with Arora, two other MLAs from the Malwa region, including a woman and a second-time MLA, may also be made ministers.
At least two current ministers are likely to be removed from the Cabinet. Some ministers may also see changes in their departments. Right now, the Punjab Cabinet has 16 ministers. It can have up to 18, including the Chief Minister. This will be the seventh Cabinet reshuffle in AAP’s three-year rule. The last one happened in September 2024, when five ministers were added and four were removed.
The reshuffle may happen at the same time as the AAP Political Affairs Committee meeting later this week. In this meeting, the party will also decide who will replace Sanjeev Arora in the Rajya Sabha, as he is now an MLA. Arvind Kejriwal has said he will not take the Rajya Sabha seat.
There is also talk about the return of a senior AAP MLA from the Majha region. The party is keeping a close eye on MLAs who could be considered for minister posts. Final decisions will be made after talks between party leaders and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The win in Ludhiana, where AAP got over 39% of the votes, has boosted the party’s morale, especially after their recent loss in Delhi. The party is now preparing for the 2027 Punjab elections and wants to bring in new leaders who have a strong connection with the public.
There may also be a bypoll in Banga soon. Akali MLA Dr. Sukhwinder Sukhi had joined AAP last year, and he may now resign from his current seat, leading to a fresh election there.
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