Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa once again claimed that 32 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs have been in contact with him and the rest are believed to have approached the BJP, hinting at a possible defection. However, the ruling AAP dismissed his claim, calling it “nonsense.”

On Monday, Bajwa, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition, stated that the AAP MLAs who have been in contact with him were looking to secure their positions in Congress before a potential switch.

"I stand by my claim. But we will take a call on who can join our party. Aman Arora (AAP Punjab chief) may himself join Congress, while (Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann, who is in touch with the BJP, might join them," he stated.

Bajwa stated that he could bring forward all AAP legislators willing to join Congress in the Assembly whenever he wished, "but toppling the government is not my aim".

Responding to Bajwa’s remarks, AAP leader Aman Arora criticised him, calling him a “masked politician” who makes such claims merely to stay in the media spotlight.

Arora says, "AAP has 93 MLAs in the Punjab Assembly, and the Congress has 16. Even if 32 legislators switch sides, the government will not fall. Partap Bajwa talks nonsense; he only wants to remain in the media".

The AAP leader also said that the Congress leader should hold a press conference with 32 MLAs to prove his assertions.

"He is a masked politician. Bajwa is physically a part of Congress, but his soul is already with the BJP," he jested.

This isn’t the first time the Congress leader has suggested that MLAs might leave the party. Speculation about internal conflict within Punjab’s ruling party gained traction after AAP’s heavy defeat in the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections.

On February 9, just a day before the election results were declared, Bajwa told India Today TV that more than 30 AAP MLAs were willing to break away from the party. He also claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was in touch with the Union Home Ministry in Delhi. However, the ruling party has repeatedly dismissed these allegations, calling Bajwa’s statements "delusional."

Punjab remains the only state where AAP holds power.

After facing a major defeat against the BJP in the Delhi elections, the party must focus on its next crucial challenge, Punjab’s 2027 Assembly elections.

In the 2022 polls, AAP secured a sweeping victory, winning 92 out of 117 seats and ending Congress’s rule. The Congress managed to win 18 seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal secured three.