By City E News Editorial Desk
NEW DELHI / CHANDIGARH – The political crisis in Punjab is set to reach the doorstep of the President of India tomorrow, May 5, in what is being viewed as a major tactical victory for the rebel group. Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, who recently led a massive defection from AAP to the BJP, has secured an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu at 10:40 AM—preceding the scheduled visit of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Timing is Everything: The President’s Schedule
In a move that has surprised many in the Chandigarh power circles, the President’s Office has allotted the first slot of the day to Chadha and three other MPs.
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10:40 AM: Raghav Chadha and fellow rebel MPs will meet the President.
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12:00 PM: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled for his audience.
The scheduling is significant, as it allows the Chadha-led group to set the narrative before the Chief Minister arrives to present the state government’s perspective.
The Agenda: Claims of “Political Vendetta”
Sources close to Raghav Chadha indicate that the primary goal of the 10:40 AM meeting is to apprise the President of the “alleged misuse of state machinery” in Punjab. The group intends to raise the issue of non-bailable FIRs recently registered against MP Sandeep Pathak, which the BJP has termed a “campaign of political vendetta” by the Mann administration following the MPs’ decision to join the saffron party.
CM Mann’s “Recall” Demand
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is heading to Delhi with a singular focus: the “Recall” of the seven MPs who defected on April 24.
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The Mandate Argument: Mann maintains that these MPs were elected based on the AAP mandate and have betrayed the people of Punjab.
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Strength on the Ground: While the President has granted an audience to the CM alone, the Aam Aadmi Party is reportedly arranging for 80 MLAs to travel to the national capital as a show of solidarity outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Background: The April 24 Seismic Shift
The current standoff is the fallout of the April 24 “merger,” where seven out of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha MPs—including Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal—joined the BJP. Because the group represented more than two-thirds of the legislative party, the merger was technically protected under the Anti-Defection Law, a point CM Mann is now seeking to challenge through presidential intervention.
Editorial Note: Why This Matters for Punjab
For the residents of Jalandhar, Amritsar, and across the state, this is more than just a Delhi-based legal battle. It represents a fundamental shift in Punjab’s representation in the Upper House. As the state government and the rebel MPs lock horns, the eyes of the nation remain fixed on May 5 to see how Her Excellency the President navigates this unprecedented constitutional tug-of-war.
City E News – Punjab’s Voice for Real-Time Updates
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