Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab secured a vote of confidence in the state Assembly on Friday, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stating that the result had ended speculation about instability within the ruling party.
The motion, introduced during a special one-day session held on Labour Day, was passed unanimously in the absence of most opposition members, days after a setback in the Rajya Sabha where seven AAP MPs defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Presenting the motion, Mann rejected claims of internal divisions, saying rumours of MLAs switching sides were unfounded. "There are rumours that AAP will be finished and its MLAs would switch sides. Such rumours create an illusion in people's minds," he said in the House. After the vote, he said speculation about "65 or 40 MLAs" leaving the party had been put to rest.
The motion was adopted without opposition participation, as Congress staged a walkout and the BJP boycotted the proceedings. Members of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party were also not present, leaving only an Independent MLA in the House when the motion was passed. The ruling party had issued a whip to ensure full attendance of its legislators.
In the 117-member Assembly, AAP holds 94 seats. The Congress has 16 MLAs, the Shiromani Akali Dal three, the BJP two, the BSP one, and there is one independent legislator.
The confidence vote comes after a political setback on April 24, when seven of AAP's 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP.
Six of the defecting MPs were from Punjab. Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan later accepted the merger, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
During the session, Mann pointed to the party's presence across states, citing representation in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir. He said the party continues to expand and has elected representatives at various levels.
Several party leaders reiterated their support. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who seconded the motion, criticised the BJP-led central government over the defections and
accused it of misusing central agencies. Other MLAs said
they would remain committed to the party and stand by its leadership.
Alongside the confidence vote, the Assembly passed a resolution approving a 15 per cent increase in minimum wages, marking the first revision of the base rate since 2012. Mann described the move as a tribute to workers, noting that while dearness allowance had increased over time, the base wage had not been revised for more than a decade.
Highlighting development measures, the chief minister said 359 students from government schools had cleared the Joint Entrance Examination, many of them from labourer families. He said education would play a key role in improving their socio-economic conditions.
The Assembly also passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act 2026, which prescribes stricter punishment for sacrilege. Mann announced that he would undertake a "Shukrana Yatra" from May 6 to May 9, visiting key religious sites to express gratitude following the passage of the legislation.
Criticising the opposition, Mann said the Congress walkout reflected a lack of engagement with workers' issues. He also dismissed opposition demands, including calls for an alcohol test, saying they had no substantive issues to raise.
The developments during the session come at a significant time for the AAP government as it seeks to reinforce stability following recent changes in its representation at the national level.