Chandigarh, Feb. 9 -- The rout of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the added ignominy of top leaders, national convener Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia losing their seats in the state assembly polls in Delhi is a double blow for the party in Punjab, the only other state where it is in power.

The dire election results had an instant demoralising effect on the party cadres and leaders as the 'brand Kejriwal', which helped the party make its presence felt in Punjab since its first electoral outing in 2014, has been diminished. The vote-getting abilities of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who was among the star campaigners and held dozens of rallies and roadshows, outside of Punjab also got exposed. Though Mann drew impressive...