The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday formally launched its campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from Ludhiana, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann releasing the party’s election pamphlet. Pitching its four-year record as its biggest electoral asset, Mann urged voters to return the party to power.Addressing the gathering, Mann launched a sharp attack on the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, claiming that voting for these parties would be detrimental to Punjab’s interests.“If an Akali-BJP alliance is forged in Punjab, it will mean the return of the three black farm laws, the diversion of Punjab’s water to Haryana and Rajasthan, and the entry of the RSS into the state’s affairs,” he alleged.The Chief Minister further claimed that a BJP government would pave the way for the Centre to take control of Chandigarh and Panjab University.Mann also alleged that drugs would make a comeback in the state and that corruption in government recruitment would return if rival parties formed the next government. He asserted that his party had delivered more than what it had promised before the 2022 elections.Describing the Congress as a “sinking ship”, Mann alleged that his opponents had no substantive issues to raise against his government and were therefore resorting to AI-generated videos and misinformation campaigns. “The opposition has no agenda except targeting Bhagwant Mann,” he said.Targeting the Badals, Mann referred to the attack on SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and criticised claims that the Guru’s “baaj” (eagle) had protected him. In a sarcastic remark, he said the bird had only returned to safeguard its own eggs, fearing the Badals might seek a “share” in them. He further alleged that during their tenure in power, the Badals had interests in businesses ranging from dhabas and land dealings to sand mining and the drug trade.Questioning the BJP’s anti-drug campaign, Mann asked how the party could promise to eliminate drugs from Punjab when it had been part of the system during the years when the menace proliferated. Referring to the seizure of large quantities of narcotics at Gujarat’s Mundra port, he said, “The drug menace cannot be addressed through political theatrics. The BJP must answer the people of Punjab about what happened at Mundra port. It cannot come to Punjab with a yatra and expect people to forget everything.”Mann urged voters to give his government a second term, saying the AAP administration had gained valuable experience over the past four-and-a-half years. “We should not keep changing doctors, otherwise the disease worsens. The Opposition once said we lacked experience. Today, Punjab has reached the top in education, and for the first time the state will host an international tournament beginning on October 27,” he said.Addressing thousands of workers, Mann announced that women beneficiaries would receive the next instalment under the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana on October 1.Senior leaders, including Manish Sisodia, Cabinet ministers Aman Arora and Harpal Singh Cheema, MLAs and party workers, were present on the occasion.Highlighting his government’s achievements, he said Punjab had shut down 19 toll plazas, saved over 2,700 lives through the Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), and acquired thermal power plants to strengthen power generation. He urged party workers to take the election pamphlet door to door and seek another mandate for what he described as an honest government.In a post on X, Mann said his government had undertaken several initiatives beyond its original poll guarantees. “The traditional parties that ruled Punjab for 75 years have given the state nothing but drugs and unemployment. If they return to power, they will stop free electricity, Aam Aadmi Clinics, canal water supply and government jobs available without bribes,” he wrote.Mann also highlighted the government’s work in the water sector, claiming that around 14,000 km of water-distribution pipelines had been laid and that large volumes of canal water were being released, alongside conservation measures inspired by the Seechewal model.Recalling the AAP government’s first Cabinet decision in 2022, he said 300 units of free electricity had been provided to eligible households from July 1 that year. He added that Punjab’s power infrastructure had since been strengthened, including through the acquisition of the Goindwal Sahib thermal power plant and coal supplies from the Pachhwara coal mine in Jharkhand.On employment, Mann said his government had provided around 71,000 government jobs through a transparent and merit-based recruitment process.“Many young employees have personally told me they secured government jobs without paying bribes. Earlier, recruitment was linked to political influence and money. We have changed that system,” he said.