Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann slams Akali Dal over SOI‑ABVP tie‑up in PU polls

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann publicly rebuked the Shiromani Akali Dal after the party announced a partnership with the student organisations Students' Organisation of India (SOI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ahead of the upcoming Punjab University student elections. Mann said the alliance politicises campus issues and undermines the autonomy of the university, urging the Akali Dal to focus on governance rather than student politics. He added that such collaborations could polarise students along partisan lines and divert attention from academic priorities. The Akali Dal has not yet responded to Mann's remarks, but political analysts note that the move reflects growing competition between regional and national parties to influence youth vote banks in the state. The controversy is likely to shape the narrative in the university polls, which are being closely watched as a barometer of broader political sentiment in Punjab.