Chandigarh: The Punjab Legislative Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a confidence motion moved by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, with ruling Aam Aadmi Party legislators reaffirming their loyalty amid recent political turbulence.
The motion was cleared during a special one-day session convened on Labour Day, even as opposition members stayed away from the proceedings. With no dissenting voices in the House, the resolution was adopted in their absence.
Moving the motion, Mann dismissed speculation that his government was under threat following the recent defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He said such claims were intended to create confusion among the public.
“There are rumours that our MLAs will switch sides, but these are baseless. The party remains strong and united,” Mann said, asserting that AAP continues to expand its footprint across several states.
The confidence vote comes in the wake of a major setback for AAP at the national level, where seven of its 10 members in the Rajya Sabha recently quit the party and merged with the BJP, citing ideological differences. The development had triggered concerns about possible instability within the party’s Punjab unit.
However, Mann sought to project unity, stating that the party was built through sustained effort and that its legislators “stand like a rock” behind leader Arvind Kejriwal.
The ruling party, which holds a commanding majority with 94 members in the 117-seat Assembly, had issued a whip directing all its legislators to be present during the session. AAP MLAs echoed the Chief Minister’s sentiments, pledging continued loyalty to the party.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who seconded the motion, criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of misusing investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI against political opponents.
Several MLAs also spoke in support of the government, highlighting welfare initiatives and development measures undertaken during its tenure. Minister Sanjeev Arora pointed to increased investments and schemes such as free electricity for households as key achievements.
The confidence motion is being seen as a strategic move by the Mann government to pre-empt any attempts to destabilise it and to publicly demonstrate its numerical strength in the Assembly.
Despite the absence of opposition parties—including the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal—the government used the session to underline its stability and send a clear political message that it retains firm control of the House.
