Congress alleges secret AAP-BJP pact after Mohali clean sweep

Mohali: The Congress has alleged a behind-the-scenes alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following Monday’s election, where AAP clinched the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor in the civic body. Advocate Narpinder Singh Rangi, leader of the Congress councillors’ group, claimed on Tuesday that the outcome exposed a close, hypocritical understanding between the two otherwise opposing parties.Rangi alleged that BJP councillors openly raised their hands to support AAP candidates during the voting process. He stated that while AAP publicly portrays itself as a fierce political opponent of the BJP in Punjab, its reliance on BJP votes to secure local civic power reveals a glaring double standard and undermines the party’s original promises of transparency and principled politics.“The mayoral election has made it clear that there is an underlying alliance between AAP and BJP. Despite publicly opposing the BJP, AAP had no hesitation in accepting its support when it suited its political interests,” Rangi said. He added that the ruling party is functioning as the “B-Team” of the BJP, noting that the residents of Mohali are closely watching these developments and will deliver their verdict at the appropriate time.The policy contradictionThe voting pattern in the civic body election directly contradicts recent public statements made by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. Speaking at a Lok Milni programme in Shamaspur village in Amloh constituency, CM Mann criticised ongoing speculation regarding a political reunion between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP, even as his own party accepted BJP backing in Mohali.“The Akali Dal-BJP alliance will prove fatal for both parties because it is not based on any ideology or concern for public welfare. Its sole objective is to grab power in Punjab,” Mann said. He further questioned how SAD and BJP leaders, who spent years publicly criticising each other, would justify seeking joint votes from a public that remembers past issues like anti-farmer policies and the drug menace.While Mann asserted that Punjabis will “teach them a befitting lesson,” BJP leaders have maintained that no formal alliance with the SAD has been finalised yet, making the political friction and cross-party voting patterns highly significant amid ongoing state alignment talks.