When Joginder Singh Mann quit the Congress in 2022, just weeks before the Punjab elections, it wasn’t a routine exit but a political earthquake. A five- decade loyalist walking out at the most crucial moment signals more than personal anger, it points to a collapse of internal trust. In Punjab’s family-driven politics, such veterans don’t leave alone; they take with them generations of loyalty, social capital, and future leadership that often follows the elder’s call. When senior leaders like Joginder Singh Mann walk away right before elections, does it expose a deeper failure of party functioning, where even lifelong loyalty is no longer enough to keep leaders, their families, and their political legacy invested ?
जब जोगिंदर सिंह मान ने 2022 में, पंजाब चुनावों से ठीक कुछ हफ्ते पहले कांग्रेस छोड़ी, तो यह कोई सामान्य इस्तीफा नहीं था, बल्कि एक राजनीतिक भूचाल था। पांच दशकों तक वफादार रहे नेता का सबसे अहम वक्त पर पार्टी छोड़ना सिर्फ व्यक्तिगत नाराज़गी नहीं दर्शाता, बल्कि आंतरिक भरोसे के टूटने की ओर इशारा करता है। पंजाब की पारिवारिक राजनीति में ऐसे दिग्गज अकेले नहीं जाते, उनके साथ पीढ़ियों की निष्ठा, सामाजिक आधार और भविष्य की राजनीतिक विरासत भी अक्सर चली जाती है। जब जोगिंदर सिंह मान जैसे वरिष्ठ नेता चुनाव से ठीक पहले पार्टी छोड़ते हैं, तो क्या यह पार्टी की कार्यप्रणाली की गहरी विफलता को उजागर करता है, जहां आजीवन निष्ठा भी नेताओं, उनके परिवारों और उनकी राजनीतिक विरासत को जोड़े रखने के लिए काफी नहीं रह गई ?
Harmeet Singh Sandhu’s political journey is marked by sharp turns and well-timed moves. He entered the Punjab Assembly in 2002 as an Independent from Tarn Taran, switched to the Shiromani Akali Dal to win again in 2007, rose further as Chief Parliamentary Secretary in 2011, and was re-elected in 2012. After defeats in 2017 and 2022, Sandhu left the Akali Dal and joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2025, a move that paid off when he won the Tarn Taran bypoll on an AAP ticket the same year. With this history of switching banners at key moments, a bigger question now looms as Punjab looks toward 2027. Is Sandhu’s 2025 AAP victory proof that he has finally found a political home or does his past suggest he could jump ship again if the Akali Dal and Sukhbir Badal make a strong comeback in 2027 ?
