Why AAP sees ‘BJP ploy’ in Satyendar Jain’s arrest ahead of Punjab polls

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the arrest of their co-in-charge in Punjab, Satyendar Jain, ahead of the upcoming state elections. Jain, who is a former Delhi minister, was among six individuals arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Tuesday in connection with a multi-crore sewage treatment plant tender fraud case.

Jain, who was appointed the AAP's Punjab co-in-charge in March 2025, informed reporters that the arrest was politically motivated and aimed to hinder the party's re-election bid.

Jain, a key member of the AAP leadership, previously served as a minister in all three AAP governments in Delhi. He has also been involved in party affairs in several other states, including leading the party's 2022 election campaign in Himachal Pradesh. However, the AAP suffered a significant setback in Himachal Pradesh, having to forfeit deposits in all 67 seats they contested.

This poor performance was reportedly attributed to Jain's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May 2022, which occurred just months before the November 2022 election and hampered the party's organizational mobilization in the state. Jain was released on bail in October 2024.

The AAP's victory in Punjab in 2022 was the only time the party had managed to form a government outside Delhi. With their expulsion from power in Delhi last year, the Punjab election is crucial for the party. In response to the arrests, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal went on an offensive against the BJP, accusing the party of being behind the arrest of Jain under the pretext of a fabricated case.

Jain's MP, Sanjay Singh, echoed these sentiments, claiming that the BJP's strategy is to arrest AAP leaders before elections to disrupt the electoral process. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also echoed these allegations, stating that the BJP's modus operandi is to target AAP leaders during election periods, and that the same tactics are being employed against Jain once again.