Fatehgarh Sahib, November 11: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday pitched the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) return to power in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, saying the state's development journey must continue under his government and contrasting its welfare record with what he called decades of neglect under the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP.

Source: IANS via AsiaPost

Mann was addressing a public gathering at Shahpur village in the Amloh Assembly constituency of Fatehgarh Sahib district, where he dedicated 1,000 more 'Pendu Khed Maidan' (village sports grounds) to the people. Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and other dignitaries were present, according to the Punjab government release.

Source: Punjab Government release via IndiaNewsCalling

"These traditional political parties have become political deadwood and have repeatedly been rejected by the people of Punjab. For decades, they remained in power but failed to address the problems of ordinary people. Their only objective was to exploit Punjab's resources and plunder the hard-earned money of the people for their vested political interests," Mann said of the Congress, the Akali Dal and the BJP, adding: "The people have not forgotten their record, and history will repeat itself in 2027 when these parties will once again face rejection." These are the Chief Minister's political claims; no response from the three parties was reported in the accounts available at the time of publishing.

1,000 more village sports grounds dedicated

With Wednesday's dedication, 1,764 of the targeted 3,100 'Pendu Khed Maidan' have now been inaugurated, the government release said — 255 grounds in the first phase on May 4, 509 more on August 24, and 1,000 in the third phase, including 93 in Fatehgarh Sahib district. The government has committed Rs 1,500 crore for the 3,100 grounds, which are being built with fencing, walking tracks, toilets, high-mast lights and play areas, and villages are being given football, hockey, volleyball and cricket kits, with football and volleyball coaches to be deployed. Mann said the grounds are part of the 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' drive to channel youth energy towards sports and away from drugs.

Listing the record he is asking voters to reward in 2027, Mann said — in the government's account of his speech — that more than 90% of Punjab households receive free electricity and farmers get daytime power; that the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna provides cashless treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh per family a year; that under the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna eligible women above 18 receive Rs 1,000 a month, and Scheduled Caste women Rs 1,500, directly into bank accounts; that more than 71,000 government jobs have been given through transparent recruitment and investments have generated more than six lakh employment opportunities; that government-school students clearing NEET rose from 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026; and that canal irrigation coverage has risen from 26% to more than 80% of the agricultural area. All of these figures are the Chief Minister's claims as carried in the official release, not independently audited numbers.

Mann also unveiled his dream of making Punjab 'pole-free' by shifting electricity wires underground, and warned voters against leaders who switch parties, saying such turncoats "have put even chameleons to shame" and have no commitment to ideology or public welfare. He said if the Akali Dal and the BJP joined hands again, Punjabis would reject both, and he dismissed former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi's proposed cycle yatra as a political gimmick. No Akali Dal, BJP or Congress response to these remarks was included in the reports available when this story was published.

Referring to the upcoming Shaheedi Sabha at Fatehgarh Sahib, Mann said his government will make elaborate arrangements for the lakhs of devotees expected to visit the sacred land where Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, along with Mata Gujri, attained martyrdom, and that he will personally monitor the arrangements, as he said he does every year.

Mann's speech is the clearest statement yet of AAP's 2027 pitch in Punjab: a contest framed around welfare delivery — free power, health cover, women's assistance, jobs and village sports infrastructure — against the record of the traditional parties. The Assembly's term runs to March 2027 and the Election Commission has not yet announced the polling schedule.