Punjab's power sector has been quietly rewired — and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wants voters to know exactly how. On Thursday, 12 November 2026, the Aam Aadmi Party leader took to X to remind Punjab residents that his government's electricity promise went beyond waiving bills: it meant rebuilding the supply chain from the ground up.

Posting in Punjabi, Mann declared: 'ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਆਪਣੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੇ ਸਿਰਫ਼ ਬਿਜਲੀ ਮੁਫ਼ਤ ਹੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤੀ, ਸਗੋਂ ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਿਰਵਿਘਨ ਬਿਜਲੀ ਸਪਲਾਈ ਵੀ ਯਕੀਨੀ ਬਣਾਈ ਹੈ' — 'Your own government has not only made electricity free, but has also ensured uninterrupted power supply in the state.' Two specific actions formed the backbone of that claim.

Pachhwara mine restarted, commissions curbed

The first was the revival of the Pachhwara coal mine, which Mann says had been shuttered under previous governments. His administration claims the restart cut out the middlemen — directly attacking what he called ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨਖ਼ੋਰੀ ('commission-eating', or procurement corruption) — and channelled coal directly into Punjab's power plants without the layer of private brokerage that had allegedly inflated costs.

The Pachhwara block, located in Jharkhand, has historically been a critical coal source for Punjab's thermal generation. Idling it, critics of past governments argued, forced expensive spot-market purchases and created opportunities for rent-seeking. Restarting it, Mann's government contends, restored a cheaper, cleaner procurement route.

The ₹1,100 crore acquisition of Goindwal Sahib thermal plant

The second, and arguably bolder, move: the state government says it spent approximately ₹1,100 crore to purchase the private Goindwal Sahib thermal power plant and transfer ownership to the people of Punjab. Mann framed it in strikingly direct language — the plant has been 'done in the name of the people of Punjab.'

The Goindwal Sahib plant, situated on the banks of the Beas in Fatehgarh Sahib district, had long operated under a private power purchase agreement. Converting it to state ownership, the government argues, removes a layer of profit extraction and gives Punjab direct control over generation capacity — a strategic hedge against grid shortfalls during peak summer demand.

AAP's energy playbook: Delhi model, Punjab scale

The moves fit a recognisable Aam Aadmi Party template. Since coming to power in March 2022 on a manifesto that promised free power up to 300 units per household, the party has consistently framed energy policy as the intersection of welfare and anti-corruption. In Delhi, the party reduced private-sector involvement in power distribution and positioned subsidised units as a flagship governance achievement. Punjab is now the larger canvas for the same argument.

Taken together — a revived public-sector coal mine, a privatised plant brought back under state control, and a free-electricity guarantee — Mann is constructing a narrative of end-to-end public ownership in a sector where previous governments are accused of presiding over systemic leakages. Whether the numbers hold up under independent scrutiny will determine whether the story sticks.