Punjab cousin of CM Bhagwant Mann, Gyan Singh Mann, joins BJP, hurting AAP

On May 11, 2026, Gyan Singh Mann – a cousin of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and a senior AAP leader – formally entered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chandigarh. The ceremony was attended by Haryana Chief Minister Naresh Singh Saini and Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhad, who presented Mann with a party badge.

BJP hailed the defection as a boost to its grassroots in Punjab, while opposition figures and the Punjab Congress described it as a further setback for AAP, which has already lost several MPs and is coping with internal dissent. No immediate response from AAP was reported. Political analysts view the move as a symbolic blow to the ruling party ahead of the upcoming state elections.