Stunned by the exit of seven of its Rajya Sabha members — six of them from Punjab — who joined the BJP, the ruling AAP in the state staged a show of strength Wednesday at Shahpur in Jalandhar district even as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that he would be meeting President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 to seek the “recall” of the MPs.Stating that his meeting with the President had been scheduled for noon May 5 by her office, Mann said he would seek the recall of the MPs since they had been elected by AAP MLAs who, in turn, had been elected by the people of Punjab.Of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha members, seven resigned from the party. Given they formed a two-thirds majority of the AAP strength in the Upper House, the MPs “merged” with the BJP. The seven who left are Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Swati Maliwal and Harbhajan Singh.Also Read | Bhagwant Mann seeks meeting with President, focus on AAP’s 3 Lok Sabha membersMeanwhile, at the Shahpur campus of the CT Group of Institutes, the AAP staged a show of strength under the watch of its Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia. Nearly 1,000 block observers and some ministers showed up, expecting long speeches and an intense discussion on the road ahead.What followed, however, was the opposite. They ended up playing tug-of-war, coordination games and passing rings – the party keen to show that the defections had not impacted morale or the rank and file, that all was well on the ground. In fact, there was no talk about those who had deserted the party.Also Read | In major setback to AAP, seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs cross over to BJPThose present included Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, state AAP president Aman Arora, Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, MLAs Naresh Kataria, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Ishank Chabbewal and his MP father Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Jeevan Jyot Kaur, Inderbir Nijjar, Balkar Sidhu and Brahm Shankar Jimpa.Also Read | Raghav Chadha's removal, Ashok Mittal on ED radar: AAP read early signsIn the morning, observers presented reports from their assigned villages and wards, detailing how they had been implementing government schemes, engaging with the public and coordinating with MLAs.Story continues below this adThey were asked to form fresh committees with a minimum of 11 active members. These committees are central to the party’s grassroots strategy, handling local issues, monitoring implementation of schemes, conducting door-to-door outreach and escalating public concerns to higher authorities.Also Read | Will AAP Rajya Sabha MPs face disqualification after joining BJP? ExplainedBut just when it seemed the meeting had been called to review the progress of work assigned, participants were led to a playground, and the political gathering transformed into a team-building exercise.District teams competed in a tug-of-war, observers formed chains to pass rings, and there were interactive speaking games. A group photograph with senior leaders, including Sisodia, sent the party’s message of unity and cohesion.