In a bid to consolidate its position in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) conducted a significant strategy meeting at a private university in Jalandhar on Wednesday. This gathering was prompted by the recent defection of seven Rajya Sabha members to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which left AAP with only three members in the Upper House. The meeting, chaired by Manish Sisodia (AAP's Punjab affairs in-charge) and Aman Arora (state unit president), included participation from AAP MLAs across Punjab and nearly 1,000 block observers. Key figures such as AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joined via video conferencing. The focus was on gathering grassroots feedback through surveys conducted by block observers to prepare for the 2027 assembly elections. Despite strict security measures, including a ban on mobile phones, party leaders asserted that the meeting was routine and not a direct response to the defections. Arora emphasized that the defectors lacked a genuine political base, while Sisodia reinforced the notion of stability within the party's Punjab unit.