In a significant move ahead of crucial municipal elections, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann executed his ninth cabinet reshuffle in less than four years of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's tenure. On Thursday, Mann divested Cabinet Minister Dr. Ravjot of the pivotal Local Bodies portfolio and reassigned it to his colleague, Sanjeev Arora.
Arora's Expanding Power in Punjab Cabinet
Sanjeev Arora, already handling three heavyweight departments—Industries, Investment Promotion, and Power—has now taken charge of Local Bodies. This makes him the fifth minister to oversee this portfolio during the AAP's current term, which completes four years in March 2026. In exchange, Dr. Ravjot has been given Arora's previous responsibility of NRI Affairs, while retaining Parliamentary Affairs.
Arora's rise within the cabinet has been rapid. He was first inducted on July 3, 2025, during the government's seventh reshuffle, replacing Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. He initially received the NRI Affairs, Industries and Commerce, and Investment Promotion portfolios. His influence grew further on August 18, 2025, when he was handed the Power Department after Chief Minister Mann withdrew it from the Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) amid allegations of collecting party funds from power engineers.
Strategic Timing Before Municipal Elections
This latest reshuffle comes at a critical juncture, with the state government planning to hold municipal elections in February. The delimitation and demarcation of wards are currently underway. With Arora at the helm of Local Bodies, he will be responsible for key decisions impacting urban development, which will directly affect all AAP MLAs and constituency in-charges across the state's assembly segments.
Political sources suggest the shift indicates a desire for more decisive action. "Dr. Ravjot was doing his bit. He was considered a slow and steady minister. Handing over his portfolio to Arora indicates he (Arora) has been lent more power," a source stated. They added that Arora, who was not appointed Deputy Chief Minister, is being made increasingly powerful through the allocation of multiple key departments.
A Track Record of Frequent Portfolio Changes
The Local Bodies department has seen remarkable instability. It was initially held by CM Mann himself before being given to Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar on July 5, 2022. Nijjar was dropped from the cabinet on May 31, 2023. Subsequently, Balkar Singh was given the portfolio when he and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian were sworn in. Balkar Singh was later dropped, and the department was handed to Dr. Ravjot on September 24, 2024, until this latest change.
Sanjeev Arora, a first-time MLA, entered the cabinet following a decisive bypoll victory. He was sworn in as the MLA from Ludhiana West in July 2025, after defeating Congress heavyweight Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a margin of 10,637 votes. His victory, with 35,179 votes, increased AAP's vote share in the constituency to 39.02%, a notable improvement from the 2022 assembly polls.
Prior to his political career, Arora was a prominent business figure and philanthropist. He leads Ritesh Industries Ltd and Hampton Sky Realty Ltd, founded Femella Fashions, and established the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust in memory of his parents. His current responsibilities are vast; alongside managing four major departments, he is also central to the government's economic agenda, having recently accompanied CM Mann on investment outreach trips to Japan and South Korea. The state is also set to organize an investment summit this year.
With 2026 being the penultimate year before the next state elections, the performance of the Local Bodies department in rolling out urban development projects will be closely watched as the AAP government seeks to consolidate its urban voter base.
