AAP Walks From Manish Sisodia's "Do Anything To Win" Punjab Poll Remark

The Aam Aadmi Party has distanced itself from senior leader Manish Sisodia's 'do whatever it takes to win' message to party workers prepping for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election.

On Monday the AAP's state unit boss, Aman Arora, told reporters the comment does not reflect the party's ideology. "We will go to the people with folded hands and seek votes on the basis of development works undertaken by the government of (Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann," he said.

Mr Arora also took pains to point out that Manish Sisodia - the AAP's state-in-charge and widely seen as party boss Arvind Kejriwal's right-hand man - "is not the whole party". He also said the entire issue - arising from Mr Sisodia's August 13 speech - had been "blown out of context".

"No individual is a full-fledged party... I am also only a small part of it... I am not AAP (and) in my individual capacity, I am saying it is neither Arvind Kejriwal's ideology nor the party's ideology, and perhaps not Manish Sisodia's ideology either. It has been blown out of context," he said.

The row broke after a video of Mr Sisodia addressing an AAP's women's wing event went viral.

In the video he appears to thunder, "2027 ke chunav jitvane ke liye saam, daam, dand, bhed, sach, jhooth, question, answer, ladai, jhagra, jo karna padega, karenge. Taiyaar hain?"

The comment was quickly picked up by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which professed concern over the word 'daam'. This, the BJP shouted, 'clearly refers to the use of bribes to buy votes or spending of money to exert undue influence and coerce voters or poll officials'.

State unit chief Sunil Jakhar wrote to the Election Commission to accuse Mr Sisodia of trying to win polls "by hook or crook, thus promoting undemocratic methods and violating the law".

These remarks mock the values of peace, freedom and integrity, and clearly indicate the AAP's intention to 'undermine' the democratic process, the Congressman-turned-BJP leader said, demanding an inquiry and 'strict punitive action against Manish Sisodia and the AAP'.

And it isn't just the BJP gunning for Punjab's ruling party.

The Congress has lashed out. Its Punjab wing chief, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring posted a scathing attack on X, declaring Manish Sisodia was "miserably mistaken about Punjabis..."

"If he believes AAP can win by resorting to those tactics... he is living in a fool's paradise. You can win over Punjabis with folded hands, as you did in 2022, only to cheat and betray them later (but) you can't threaten and intimidate them. This is Punjab and not any other state."

.@msisodia is miserably mistaken about Punjab and Punjabis. If he believes that @AamAadmiParty can win by resorting to those tactics which he mentioned during his speech, he is living in a fool's paradise.
You can win over Punjabis with folded hands as you did in 2022 only to… pic.twitter.com/VPzvxFHTY2

— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) August 15, 2025

"I am grateful to you for revealing your intentions and exposing your designs."

Separately, the Congress' stinging critique underlines continuing tension between the two parties that are, on paper at least, allied under the INDIA bloc banner.

However, while the Congress and AAP's national leadership may want to work together, their state units (in Haryana, Punjab, and elsewhere) are set against any alliance.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has also appealed to the Election Commission.

SAD boss Sukhbir Singh Badal has urged the poll panel to de-recognise the AAP as a political party because it had resorted to "corrupt, unconstitutional, and illegal means to win the forthcoming election".

The @AamAadmiParty's bloody cat is finally out of the bag. The mask has fallen.
▪️ AAP's deceptions, lies, false promises, and dirty tactics—like riots, violence, and money games—to cling to power in Punjab 2027, all this has been shamelessly and openly admitted by their top… pic.twitter.com/nycIVUVDO6

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) August 16, 2025

He also accused Mr Sisodia and "some elements (a reference to the AAP)" of "propelling the state towards anarchy and communal discord by adopting violent measures to win elections".

Mr Sisodia has not reacted so far.

The next election in Punjab is still nearly two years away, but the battle has already begun.

Victory in 2027 is crucial for an AAP that lost control of its political stronghold - Delhi - to the BJP in February. A second defeat could be the end of the road for a party battling a myriad corruption allegations involving senior leaders, including Mr Sisodia and party boss Arvind Kejriwal.

With input from agencies

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