Punjab is set for a massive employee-pensioner mobilisation on Thursday, with nearly four lakh government employees and lakhs of pensioners observing a “maha hartal” to pressure the AAP government to clear their long-pending dearness allowance (DA) dues.The strike is being observed in spite of the fact that the Joint Action Committee of leaders of various employee unions spearheading the strike has been called for a meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) complex, Jalandhar.Normal life will, however, not be disrupted, with employees making it clear that roads will not be blocked and private businesses will run as usual. Even PRTC buses will run as usual, considering that the strike is just a day before the Rakhi festival. However, government schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and other healthcare facilities (other than emergency services), and government offices will not function on Thursday.The scale of the planned agitation presents a significant political challenge for the Mann government ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. With around 7.50 lakh employees and pensioners participating, the protest has the potential of influencing nearly 38 lakh voters when their families are taken into account.It is learnt that employees across departments will proceed on mass casual leave. They will stage protests outside government offices from 9 am. In Chandigarh, hundreds of employees are expected to assemble outside the main Secretariat and in Sector 17. Similar demonstrations will be held outside government offices across the state. On Wednesday, employee leaders, including Sushil Kumar Fauji, visited offices in the main and mini secretariats and appealed to employees to participate in the agitation in large numbers.The government, meanwhile, spent the day working on a strategy to deal with the protest. Senior officers and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema remained engaged in meetings to fine-tune the proposal that Mann is expected to put before employee union leaders during their meeting.The government is learnt to be considering offering 6 per cent interest on the pending DA dues while seeking more time to clear the principal amount. The accumulated DA arrears are estimated at around Rs 15,000 crore, making an immediate settlement financially difficult for the cash-strapped state.The employee unions, however, are unlikely to accept any proposal that does not address the payment of the arrears. Their argument is that while the government claims financial constraints when it comes to clearing employees’ legitimate dues, it continues to spend heavily on subsidies and financial assistance schemes.The meeting between Mann and the employee leaders was originally scheduled to be held at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh. However, with the Chief Minister having prior engagements in Jalandhar, the meeting will now be held at the PAP complex in Jalandhar.The timing of the agitation makes it particularly sensitive for the AAP government. The employees and pensioners constitute one of Punjab’s largest organised voting blocs, and the issue of delayed DA payments has the potential of becoming a wider political narrative over the government’s handling of state finances.For the government, Thursday’s protest is not merely a challenge offered by strike. It is also a test of whether it can contain growing employee discontent without allowing the issue to acquire electoral overtones ahead of the 2027 poll.