Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday predicted that both the BJP and the Congress would struggle to cross the 10 seat mark in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, asserting that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party would retain its dominance in the state.
Speaking during an interview with Rahul Kanwal, Mann said the BJP would likely win only one or two seats, mainly in the Pathankot belt. He even wrote down his prediction and signed it during the interview.
“The BJP will get one or two seats around Pathankot,” Mann said, adding that the Congress would fare only marginally better.
Targeting the Congress, Mann claimed the party would be reduced to single digits in the next Assembly polls. “They will win between one and nine seats. Anything lower than that and their top leadership will be completely wiped out,” he remarked.
Asked why he was so confident about his assessment, Mann said his prediction was based on public sentiment. “I live among the people. Write this down and save it,” he said.
Mann also predicted a complete rout for the Shiromani Akali Dal, saying the party would fail to open its account in the 2027 elections.
Punjab was the second state won by Aam Aadmi Party after Delhi, with the party scripting a landslide victory in the 2022 Assembly elections by winning 92 of the 117 seats.
The Congress, which had secured 77 seats in the 2017 elections, was reduced to just 18 seats in 2022. Several senior leaders, including former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, suffered major defeats. Channi had contested from both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur constituencies and lost from both seats.
The BJP managed to win only two seats in the 2022 elections. The party has historically depended on its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab and has struggled to expand independently in the state.
The Akali Dal too witnessed a sharp decline in its electoral fortunes, winning just three seats in 2022, down from 15 in the 2017 Assembly elections.