The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday passed a confidence motion in favour of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, clearly showing that the government holds majority in the House and the move comes at a politically sensitive time with Assembly elections scheduled in 2027.
The confidence motion was moved by the Chief Minister and supported by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema where a total of 88 MLAs voted in favour of the government and not a single vote was cast against the motion making it a unanimous decision among those present and voting. This was amid four MLAs were absent, while two MLAs Laljit Singh Bhullar and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra are in jail.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann thanked all MLAs for expressing their confidence in his government.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has 94 MLAs in the Assembly and all its MLAs were present during the proceedings showing full strength on the treasury benches however as per official voting records 88 MLAs participated in the voting process and all supported the motion. The majority mark in the 117-member Assembly is 59 which means the government is comfortably above the required number.
Major opposition parties including the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal did not take part in the voting process and only BSP MLA Nachattar Pal and Independent MLA Rana Inder Pratap were present on the opposition benches during the proceedings.
With Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027 the confidence motion is being viewed as a strong political message as there have been claims and rumours about possible divisions within the ruling party but by bringing the motion now the government aimed to show that it still has full support and to avoid any situation where it might be forced into a floor test closer to elections.
This move has largely put rumours of MLA defections to rest.
After forming the government AAP had nominated 7 Rajya Sabha MPs out of which 6 of them: Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Vikramjit Sahney, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh and Rajinder Gupta have left the party and joined the BJP which had increased speculation about possible political shifts but the latest vote result has reduced immediate concerns.
The session witnessed strong arguments and protests as members from both treasury and opposition benches raised slogans and entered the well of the House and the Speaker had to adjourn proceedings for a short time due to the noisy situation.
There was also a heated exchange between the Chief Minister and Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira which led to further tension following which Congress MLAs walked out of the House.
Important discussions were held on past sacrilege incidents where Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan called for strict action in the 2015 cases and Finance Minister Cheema said older cases like the 1986 Nakodar incident should also be investigated. The Chief Minister added that events linked to Operation Blue Star should also be examined if past cases are being reopened while Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal suggested extending the session for deeper discussion.
On Labour Day CM Mann announced a 15% increase in minimum wages for workers:
Earlier wage: ₹483 per day
New wage: ₹555.45 per day
He said wages had not been revised for around 13 years and called it an important step for workers’ welfare.
The Chief Minister announced a four-day “Shukrana Yatra” from May 6 to 9 and this is being organised after the passing of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Amendment) Act 2026.
The victory of the confidence motion clearly signals that the ruling AAP government remains strong in the Assembly and it also sends a political message that the party is preparing to return to power in the 2027 Punjab elections.
