AAP's Punjab Promises: Two Delivered, Five Deferred, Several Unmet
AAP has implemented free power and free bus travel for women, but deferred five major poll guarantees to its final year, drawing charges of betrayal from SAD, BJP and Congress.
Four years after winning a historic mandate on a "vote for change" platform, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is facing scrutiny over the pace at which it has delivered on its poll guarantees. Only two of its flagship freebies — 300 units of free household electricity and free bus travel for women — were rolled out in the first year of its tenure, both of which added to the state's financial burden.
Five major promises have been parked until the final year of the government's term, a deferral attributed to a resource crunch. These include the Mukh Mantri Mawan-Dheeyan Satkar Yojana, which promises Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month to women; the Meri Rasoi Yojana; free registration for ten lakh workers; the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Act, 2026; and an expansion of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana to provide Rs 10 lakh in health cover.
Several other commitments remain unfulfilled or only partially met. The pledge to make Punjab drug-free within weeks or months, along with fast rehabilitation, has not been delivered, and the drug problem remains a live political charge. Against a promise of 25 lakh jobs, the government cites roughly 65,000 government jobs and 5.5 lakh "opportunities," a figure critics say falls far short. The assurance of MSP on every crop and debt-free farming is also unmet, while the promise of Rs 1,000 per month to women from day one began only in 2026 — prompting the opposition to demand arrears for the missed years. Revenue claims used to justify welfare spending, including figures such as Rs 20,000 crore from mining, have been dismissed as failed arithmetic rather than actual funds.
The Shiromani Akali Dal accused the AAP government of looting Punjab in the name of freebies and guarantees. Sukhbir Badal said the party had done nothing in four years apart from depleting the state's treasury, alleging Rs 4,500 crore was spent on advertisements and that Arvind Kejriwal ran the government while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's role was limited.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently attacked the Punjab government, calling it the "Kattar Beimaan Party" and accusing it of masking betrayal with advertisements. He alleged that loans are being raised in Punjab's name while interest payments consume the budget and those in power benefit from the borrowed money.
Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa said AAP betrayed people in the name of freebies and overburdened the exchequer. He claimed the party that promised not to take fresh debt is now planning to borrow Rs 50,000 crore in a single year, with Punjab's debt projected to reach Rs 4.47 lakh crore — a burden of Rs 1.04 lakh per person. He also cited government records to claim that in over four and a half years only two new government schools were opened and seven shut, with the dropout rate touching six lakh.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann rejected the allegations, asserting that his government has fulfilled every guarantee it made. He said Punjab is on the path of progress and that the party has set a new tradition by completing its promises within four years, including delivering its first poll promise within three months. Transparency in administration and youth employment, he said, are its biggest achievements, and he accused the opposition of cheap politics in the absence of real issues.
Political analysts suggest the deferrals reveal strained finances but may not cost AAP electorally. Professor Pramod Kumar of the Institute for Development and Communication, Panjab University, said voters remember what they received rather than how many promises were delayed, and that doles are a proven formula for retaining a vote bank. Professor Varinder Sharma, also of IDC, cautioned that relief is not the same as repair, noting that heavy subsidies and recurring transfers deepen the argument that Punjab is spending tomorrow's revenue on today's loyalty, while capital spending suffers.
Analysts also point to service deficiencies — strikes by Aam Aadmi Clinic staff over low salaries, empty gyms, poor school infrastructure, allegations that jobs went to outsiders, and pending dues for six lakh employees — as measures voters may use to judge performance. In an election year, they note, competence is tested not by a scheme's announcement but by the trajectory of delivery.