CM Bhagwant Mann Livestreams Punjab Assembly's 13th Session
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Transparency took centre stage at Punjab's Vidhan Sabha on Friday, October 23, 2026, as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann broadcast the 13th session of the 16th Punjab Legislative Assembly live from Chandigarh — putting the proceedings directly in front of every citizen with a smartphone.
Mann's post, shared in both Punjabi and Hindi, announced the live stream with the message: '16ਵੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਦੇ 13ਵੇਂ ਸੈਸ਼ਨ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ ਤੋਂ LIVE' — 'Live from Chandigarh during the 13th session of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.' The broadcast link was shared directly on X, pulling the legislature into the social media scroll of ordinary Punjabis.
The 16th Assembly and what its sessions mean
The 16th Punjab Legislative Assembly was constituted after the February 2022 state elections, in which the Aam Aadmi Party swept to power with a commanding majority. Since then, Bhagwant Mann's government has convened multiple sessions in Chandigarh — the Union Territory that serves as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana under a decades-old administrative arrangement. Each session is a formal window for legislators to question the executive, debate bills, and shape state policy on everything from agriculture to education.
Livestreaming as a governance signal
Live-streaming assembly sessions via social media is not new for Indian state governments, but Punjab's consistent use of platforms like X to broadcast proceedings reflects a deliberate transparency posture. The idea is simple and powerful: when a citizen can watch their MLA debate in real time, accountability is no longer a promise — it is a practice. For the AAP government, which built its brand on open governance first in Delhi and then in Punjab, these broadcasts carry political meaning beyond mere optics.
The 13th session arrives as Punjab continues to navigate complex challenges in agriculture policy, fiscal management, and public services. Whatever the session's specific agenda, its very accessibility — live, free, and shareable — signals that Mann's administration wants the public as witness, not afterthought.
In a state where assembly sessions once felt like insider events, that openness is itself the story.