CM Bhagwant Mann takes government’s report card to households

Dhuri (Sangrur), 20 September (H.S.): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday launched the Aam Aadmi Party’s statewide door-to-door campaign from his Assembly constituency of Dhuri, taking the government’s four-and-a-half-year report card directly to voters ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The outreach follows AAP’s formal campaign launch in Ludhiana on September 19.

During the campaign, Mann visited households and interacted with residents, including women, senior citizens and youngsters. He said AAP would ask people to assess the government on the basis of the work carried out since 2022 and would keep its campaign focused on welfare schemes, public services and development.

At the centre of AAP’s campaign messaging is “Mann Da Munafa”, through which the party is highlighting what it describes as financial savings generated for households by government initiatives. Mann claimed that an average Punjab family was receiving benefits worth around ₹1.82 lakh annually through measures including free electricity, healthcare, government-school improvements and welfare initiatives for women. The party has also claimed average savings of around ₹15,000 per month for families. These figures are claims made by AAP as part of its election campaign.

Mann said free electricity and expanded primary healthcare had helped reduce household expenditure, while improvements in government schools were aimed at easing the burden of education costs on parents. He also highlighted expenditure on village infrastructure, including roads, drainage, water supply, community facilities, sports grounds and street lighting.

The Chief Minister said the party’s workers and candidates would take the government’s report card to every constituency and seek feedback from residents. He said AAP intended to centre its election campaign on its governance record rather than personal attacks.

AAP had earlier announced that around 2.68 lakh booth committee members would participate in the statewide outreach, covering 25,332 polling booths. The campaign is also being accompanied by a membership drive. Mann’s participation in the Dhuri leg on September 20 had been announced by the party earlier this week.

During his interactions, Mann also criticised the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP over their political records and raised the issue of drugs.

His remarks come as the BJP conducts its own “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” across the state. The BJP has accused the AAP government of failing to meet its commitments on tackling the drug problem, while AAP has blamed earlier governments for allowing the crisis to grow.

AAP said the Dhuri launch would now be followed by door-to-door campaigning across Punjab, with workers presenting the government’s record and welfare claims directly to voters.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH