As per the Election Commission, Aam Aadmi Party is leading in 91 seats out of the 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly at 2 PM, followed by Congress (17) and Shiromani Akali Dal (7)….reports Asian Lite News
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday congratulated the people of Punjab for party’s stellar performance in the state assembly polls, calling the mandate “revolutionary”.
“Iss Inquilab ke liye Punjab ke logon ko bahut bahut badhai (congratulations to the people of Punjab for this revolution),” tweeted Kejriwal with a photo of him and the AAP Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann, showing the victory sign.
As per the Election Commission, Aam Aadmi Party is leading in 91 seats out of the 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly at 2 PM, followed by Congress (17) and Shiromani Akali Dal (7).
If AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party’s maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress.
Congress went into the polls, battling factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as the party’s new state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, endorsing him for the chief ministerial face days before the polling on February 20.
The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off the alliance with the BJP over the three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly elections.
It is the first time that the BJP fought on over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa.
Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017. (ANI)
As per the early trends in UP, the saffron party was leading on 155 seats and AAP ahead with 90 seats in Punjab, reports Asian Lite News
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party are set to script history in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab respectively. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath became the first BJP chief minister of the state to be elected for a second term in the country’s largest and most populous state.
As per the early trends in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party was leading on 155 seats while Samajwadi Party was ahead on 97. The Bahujan Samaj Party didn’t seem to woo the voters, as it was leading on only 6 seats. The Congress party continued to show its dismal performance and was leading on only 4 seats.
The Assembly polls for 403 seats spread over 75 districts were held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. More than 3.75 lakh voters exercised their franchise using ballot papers. The state’s Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that 84 counting centres had been set up across Uttar Pradesh.
AAP sweep in Punjab
In Punjab, the multi-cornered electoral battle is probably heading for a comfortable victory for the AAP as the early trends gave an edge to the Bhagwant Mann-led party over the ruling Congress. The Shiromani Akali Dal was coming as the third party.
The exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab. A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray. The state recorded a voter turnout of 71.95 per cent, the lowest percentage compared to the voting percentage in three previous Assembly polls.
Prominent faces who were trailing in the first two hours of counting of ballots included five-time former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from his bastion Lambi; Congress chief ministerial candidate and incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi on both seats — Chamkaur Sahib, a reserved seat that he has won three consecutive times, and Bhadaur in Barnala district; and Congress state unit chief Navjot Sidhu from Amritsar (East), the seat that came into being after 2012 delimitation and has backed Sidhu and his namesake wife — Navjot Kaur.
Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh, whose fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), is trailing from his ‘royal’ bastion Patiala (Urban).
AAP’s chief ministerial face and sitting MP Bhagwant Mann is leading from Dhuri, the seat from where he’s trying luck for the first time.
Sanyukt Samaj Morcha chief and its chief ministerial face Balbir Singh Rajewal is also trailing in Samrala. AAP’s first-timer Jagtar Singh is leading on that seat.
Counting for the 117 Assembly constituencies started at 8 a.m. Postal ballots were counted first.
A three-tier security system has been put in place.
The polls for the 117 Assembly constituencies were held on February 20 and a total 1,54,69,618 voters exercised their right to franchise.
The election results can be obtained from the official website of CEO Punjab — ceopunjab.gov.in or results.eci.gov.in. Also, results can also be obtained from voter helpline mobile application.
As per exit polls, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is emerging as a major contender, while the Congress is struggling hard to retain power.
In the 2017 elections, the Congress had won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats in the 117-member assembly and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.
The AAP had emerged as the second-largest party, winning 20 seats.
SAD won 15 seats, while the BJP, which had a coalition government with the Akali Dal in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, secured three seats.
Goa set for close finish
In Goa, the exit polls had tipped a keen contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress and Goa Forward alliance, with neither being able to reach the magic figure of 21 in a 40-member state Assembly. However, the trends showed the grand-old party — Congress — ahead of its arch-rival BJP while the much-hyped AAP, as per the early trends, didn’t seem to impress the electorate at all as it was not leading on any seat.
Nearly 79 per cent voters cast ballots in the February 14 polls in Goa.
In Manipur, as per the early trends, the saffron party is heading for a landslide victory. According to the election officials, around 89.3 per cent of the 20,48,169-strong electorate cast their votes in the two-phase election to the 60-member Manipur Assembly on February 28 and March 5. This year’s voting percentage was higher than the 2017 and 2012 Assembly elections, when 86.4 per cent and 79.5 per cent electorate had exercised their franchise respectively.
In Uttarakhand, even as the BJP is leading in the early trends, it is still hard to predict the results as the Congress party is not much behind. The new-entrant AAP, like Goa, has failed to make any impact on the voters so far.
Punjab Lok Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh is also trailing at second place after second round of counting….reports Asian Lite News
In early trends, the AAP crossed majority mark with 79 seats at 9:45 AM in the 117 Punjab Assembly for which majority mark is 59, as per Election commission reports.
Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing at second place from Amritsar East Assembly constituency.
Punjab Lok Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh is also trailing at second place after second round of counting.
Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing from Chamkaur Sahib.
As per ECI, Congress had 14 followed by SAD (7).
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing on the second position in Amritsar East constituency behind AAP’s Jeevan Jotbkaur.
Navjot Sidhu
Counting for 117 assembly seats in Punjab began at 8 am across state on Thursday.
Exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party’s victory varying across various surveys.
AAP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann residence in Dhuri is decorated with flowers ahead and Jalebi preparation had begun even before the counting had started.
If AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party’s maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress.
Congress went into the polls having battled factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its chief minister in September last year even as new Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. The Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, as its chief ministerial candidate days before the polling on February 20.
The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off its alliance with BJP over three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the assembly elections.
It is the first time that BJP fought over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. BJP leaders have talked of putting up a strong performance in the polls.
Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017. (ANI)
Kejriwal began his two-day Uttar Pradesh tour from Monday to drum up support for party candidates in the ongoing Assembly polls…reports Asian Lite News
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, has said if there is a hung Assembly in Uttar Pradesh, then AAP will enter into a post-poll alliance to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power in the state.
“All surveys are indicating a hung Assembly in the state. In such a situation, we will form an alliance to keep the BJP out of the government, if needed. We will fulfil promises of free 24-hour electricity, better schools and hospitals even by supporting other party against BJP in case of hung assembly,” Kejriwal, who is on a two-day campaign tour in Uttar Pradesh, told reporters.
Kejriwal began his two-day Uttar Pradesh tour from Monday to drum up support for party candidates in the ongoing Assembly polls.
He said that if people of UP want Delhi-like government, schools and hospitals, then they all must vote for the AAP without worrying how many seats it will win the election.
The Delhi chief minister also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of calling him a “terrorist”.
“Despite ruling the country for years, these parties did not have a single concrete work to talk about and that is why, they are calling me a terrorist. Tell me, if any terrorist has built schools/hospitals in the world? Does any terrorist arrange pilgrimages for elders?” he asked.
He further said, “The BJP conducted raids at my house and office with help of all agencies but they did not get anything. When I asked what was found at my house, I was told nothing. When I asked why the raids were conducted then I was told that some poet lives in Ghaziabad who said I am a terrorist. I came in his dream and told him seven years ago that I would divide India into two parts and become the prime minister of one,” he said.
“I request the Prime Minister to do away with agencies like RAW, CBI, ED and keep that poet instead. He will tell who is a terrorist and who is not,” said Kejriwal.
He further said, “Terrorists are of two types. One who scares the public and the other who scares the corrupt. Kejriwal is the terrorist who scares the corrupt.”
In a lighter vein, he said, “When someone commits corruption for 100 miles, mother says just sleep, otherwise Kejriwal will come,” he said referring to a dialogue from popular Bollywood film ‘Sholay’.
Attacking opposition parties, Kejriwal said, “Both the BJP and the Congress have been wiped out from Delhi. If given a chance, all other parties will be wiped out from here too,” he added.
The AAP leader cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech and said, “The Prime Minister said those who ride bicycle are terrorists. This is an insult to bicycle riders. When you vote, tell them it’s the BJP people who are terrorists, not the ones who ride bicycles.”
Mann, 48, who is also the AAP’s state president, is the party’s prominent face in the state that will go to the polls on February 20…reports Vishal Gulati
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab chief minister candidate Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday conducted a door-to-door campaign for the Dhuri assembly seat from where he is in the fray and which falls in his home turf of Sangrur.
Wooing the voters, Mann said, “Till February 20 our responsibility is yours and after that all your responsibilities will be ours.”
“The fight is not to save some political families but to save Punjab, the farmers, the agriculture, the industry and the youth. Owing to lack of employment and better education infrastructure, our youth is moving abroad. We will stop our talent from migrating by providing them adequate employment opportunities,” the second-time Lok Sabha member from Sangrur said in his folksy style.
Mann, 48, who is also the AAP’s state president, is the party’s prominent face in the state that will go to the polls on February 20.
On the issue of farmers, Mann said the previous governments had given a lot of pain to the farmers owing to poor marketing of their produce. “After working hard, farmers’ crops are getting spoiled in the mandis and they have to bear the loss. The AAP government will not let the farmers bear the brunt of crop loss at any cost.”
He assured the farmers that once the crop reached the market all the responsibility for the crops would lie with the government. “Farmers won’t have to bear the loss if the crop gets spoiled due to rain, and they will be compensated with full payment within 24 hours.”
Slamming his bete noire and Congress state President Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is trying to convince the party to declare him the chief ministerial face ahead of the polling, Mann said, “A person who can’t take care of his mother, how will he serve the people of Punjab?”
Training his guns at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), comedian-turned-politician Mann, whose satirical speeches are a huge hit in the rural areas, said Parkash Singh Badal has been urging people to cast their vote in favour of the party for his last three terms, saying as this is his last election.
“Now he (Badal) is not of the age to serve, but his greed for power forced him to contest at the age of 94.”
Mann said power in Punjab is limited to a few political families. “However, our government will take out the power from those families and take it to the common man. The government of the Aam Aadmi Party will be the government of all sections of Punjab.”
He said being an MP from Sangrur he has always raised the voice of Punjab in Parliament. “Similarly, on becoming Chief Minister I will work round the clock to resolve the problems and protect the rights of every section.”
Mann, who joined the AAP in 2014 and won the Sangrur parliamentary seat by 211,721 votes, took over the reins of the party unit in 2019. He retained his parliamentary seat in 2019 by 111,111 votes.
Formerly a popular comedian-actor, Mann, known for his trademark ‘basanti’ turban, a colour associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh, has had his fair share of controversies in recent years, especially linked to his drinking habit.
In this poll, Mann, 48, has been pitted against Congress candidate and sitting legislator Dalvir Singh Goldy, 40, who has challenged his main rival for an open debate on the issue of development work.
“I see Mann as a comedian, not a serious politician,” Goldy, who has been trying to build a narrative of a battle between an ‘outsider’ versus ‘Dhuri da putt’ (son of Dhuri) as he’s a resident of the constituency said.
The SAD-BSP alliance has fielded former Sangrur MLA Parkash Chand Garg from this seat, while Sarbjit Singh Alal is the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha candidate and Randeep Singh Deol is the BJP’s.
Unlike Goldy, the candidates of all other prominent parties are outsiders, belonging to other Assembly segments.
In 2017, Goldy won Dhuri by defeating his arch-rival and AAP leader Jasvir Singh Jassi Sekhon with a margin of 2,811 votes. Sekhon polled 46,536 votes against Goldy’s 49,347.
With 74 villages, the constituency is mainly rural and Dhuri is the only town. The constituency has 164,322 voters, including 77,721 women.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, the Congress won 77 seats in the 117-member House, while the SAD-BJP alliance could win only 18 seats. The AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats.
Two of the three MLAs from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party also switched to the BJP during that period…reports Asian Lite News
Weeks after Congress party candidates took a public oath in front of religious deities against defecting to other political parties after elections, candidates of the AAP in Goa on Wednesday signed affidavits against switching political parties after the February 14 polls.
At a press conference in Panaji, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also said that the issue of defections had reached “world record” proportions in Goa, calling for the strengthening of anti-defection laws in the country.
“Goa’s politics is such that it has a history of defections. I think it must be a world record that 15 of the 17 elected MLAs of one party switch sides to another. This pledge is a legal document and if any of our candidates go against their pledge they can be prosecuted for breach of trust and swearing a false oath,” Kejriwal told a press conference in Panaji, during which the party’s 39 candidates posed with their signed affidavits.
Kejriwal was referring to the exodus of Congress party MLAs to the BJP between 2017 and 2022. Two of the three MLAs from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party also switched to the BJP during that period.
“We have chosen all good candidates, when choosing we have chosen based on who is clean and honest. We have chosen them well, yet we have felt the need for this affidavit because not only should you be honest, but you should also be seen to be honest. People have to be reassured (that) If I work dishonestly or change my party you can file a case against me,” the Delhi Chief Minister also said.
“Anti-defection laws need to be strengthened in India. Especially in the case of Goa. If an MLA wants to defect for reasons of ‘defection’ then they need to go back to the people. This is a confidence building measure that we are giving you in writing that we will not change. Today we are the only party that is bringing a statement of oath before the people,” Kejriwal said.
AAP Punjab affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha told the media here that AAP had submitted a letter to the Governor and demanded an inquiry against Channi….reports Asian Lite News
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday welcomed the decision of Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit for ordering the DGP to conduct a high-level inquiry into the allegations of illegal sand mining against Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
AAP Punjab affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha told the media here that AAP had submitted a letter to the Governor and demanded an inquiry against Channi. He thanked the Governor for accepting Aam Aadmi Party’s demand and hoped that Punjab Police would conduct a fair and independent investigation in the matter and punish the guilty.
Referring to the letter related to the order of inquiry, Chadha said the Governor has taken cognisance of the matter and has ordered DGP V.K. Bhawra to take action against Channi for illegal sand mafia his constituency Chamkaur Sahib’s village Jindapur.
The Governor has asked the DGP to conduct a high-level inquiry and hand over the report to him. Chadha appealed to the DGP and Punjab Police not to come under any kind of political pressure and register an FIR against Chief Minister Channi after conducting a fair and independent investigation into the whole matter.
Chadha said that they had already exposed the sand mafia in Chamkaur Sahib, the assembly constituency of the Chief Minister, and alleged that the Chief Minister and his relatives were associated with the sand mafia.
AAP candidate arrested
Kali Charan Yadav, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate from the Jungipur Assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district, has been arrested for violation of model code of conduct, following the recovery of election campaigning material without the name of publisher or printer.
Inspector Rajesh Tripathi said a checking drive was being carried out near Rajwari underpass bridge on Varanasi-Ghazipur border on Sunday, when an SUV carrying flag of a political party was stopped.
On checking the vehicle, 120 pamphlets, five stickers, five flags and 62 caps of the AAP were recovered, he said.
The election campaigning material had no name and address of publisher/printer on them.
Yadav was arrested and a case has been registered against him under section 127 of Representation of the people Act and 171(F) of IPC, the inspector said.
Tripathi added that during initial investigation, Yadav said he was an AAP candidate and was carrying publicity material for his election campaigning.
When police sought the reason for not mentioning the name of publisher and printer as per the directives of the Election Commission of India, Yadav assured to provide a clarification of it.
However, when he failed to give a clarification, the police initiated legal action against him, said Tripathi.
Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate…reports Asian Lite News
Everything is in a name when it comes to announcing the chief ministers face, it seems!
Just about a week after the AAP declared comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate, whispers in the Congress party have become louder over announcing a name for the coveted post.
The demand by Congress leaders in Punjab comes at a time when both Charanjit Singh Channi, the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister, and the party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have made clear their desire to occupy the seat, while former party chief Sunil Jakhar is the silent runner in the race.
Delhi is cautious about announcing the name as it has the potential to create trouble for the party with elections just round the corner.
In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, ending all speculation with just a week to go before the election, then party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had announced that Amarinder Singh would head the government if the Congress was voted to power.
“Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar (Sikh) community. He is going to be our chief minister,” Gandhi had said at his first political rally in the Akali Dal assembly stronghold of Majitha.
This time too the clamour within the party has been increasing to announce Channi as the Congress’ face.
Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate.
But the key opponents in the state — the AAP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine and the BJP in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s new party Punjab Lok Congress and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledging coalition of farm unions — are making an issue out of it. The prominent faces for the parties are Channi, 58, Mann, 48, Sukhbir Singh Badal, 59, Amarinder Singh, 80, and Balbir Singh Rajewal, 78, respectively.
The announcement of the Congress chief ministerial face is crucial with the pollsters predicting that the Congress could either retain the helm with a photo finish close to the halfway mark of 59 or no party will get a clear majority, despite the anti-incumbency sentiment against previous incumbent Amarinder Singh, who was unceremoniously removed after a bitter power tussle with Sidhu last September.
Cricketer-turned-politician and a well-known TV personality Sidhu, 58, who in the game once rebelled against the Indian cricket team captain and in politics left the BJP in 2016 to join the Congress a year later, is slamming the central leadership by asking: “What’s a ‘baraat’ without a ‘dulha’ (bridegroom)?
Kejriwal and Palekar hugged after the announcement at a function in Panaji. AAP MLA Atishi was also present…reports Asian Lite News
Lawyer and social worker Amit Palekar is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s chief ministerial candidate for Goa, party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced today.
Palekar is from the OBC Bhandari community, which accounts for about 35 per cent of Goa’s population. He was recently in the news for his hunger strike to protest illegal construction at an Old Goa heritage site.
The 46-year-old, who joined AAP this October, is the party’s candidate from the St Cruz Assembly constituency currently represented by the BJP.
Kejriwal and Palekar hugged after the announcement at a function in Panaji. AAP MLA Atishi was also present.
“Goa wants a change and AAP has been getting a tremendous response in the coastal state. People are impressed with the Delhi model of governance,” Kejriwal said. He added that this time, the party has given tickets to fresh faces across the state.
Before announcing Palekar’s name, Kejriwal said the party had chosen a “honest man” as the face of its campaign in the coastal state. He also said that they had picked a person well known for his welfare work in the community.
“We had promised you that we will give you a (chief ministerial) face whose heart beats for Goa and who lay down his life for Goa, someone who will take everyone along, irrespective of their religion or caste, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor, irrespective of whether they stay in north Goa or south Goa,” he said.
“Keeping in mind the politics in Goa, it is most important that he is someone who is honest,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said that while the Bhandari community account for about 35 per cent of Goa’s population, there has been only one Chief Minister from among them — Ravi Naik — for two-and-a-half years.
Countering criticism that the party was resorting to caste politics, he said they were only “correcting” the politics over caste by other parties.
The AAP has announced that it will contest all 40 seats in BJP-ruled state in the February 14 polls. Apart from the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Shiv Sena are also in the contest this time.
The announcement by AAP came a day after the party announced MP and senior leader Bhagwant Mann as its chief minister candidate in Punjab following a televoting drive among voters.
Two ex-CMs feature in Trinamool’s first list
Two former Chief Ministers have been named in Trinamool Congress’ first list of candidates for the February 14 Assembly elections in Goa.
Former CMs Luizinho Faleiro and Churchill Alemao will be contesting from Fatorda and Benaulim in South Goa, respectively, according to the list of candidates officially released by the party on Tuesday.
The list of 11 candidates also includes Alemao’s daughter Valanka, who will be contesting from the Navelim Assembly constituency, besides naming former BJP MLA Kiran Kandolkar, among others.
The Trinamool Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
The 40-member Goa Assembly will go to the polls on February, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
AAP is the first — so far the only — party to announce a chief ministerial candidate in Punjab. It had avoided doing so in the previous election and this time round, had held out until now, reports Asian Lite News
Bhagwant Mann is Aam Aadmi Party (AAP’s) chief ministerial candidate for Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal said today in a dramatic reveal of the results of a televote in which people were asked to phone in their choice.
Bhagwant Mann, a two-time AAP MP from Sangrur, received more than 93 per cent of the votes cast through phone and WhatsApp, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal told reporters. More than 21 lakh people participated in the vote, AAP said.
Around 3 per cent votes were in the name of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, Kejriwal shared. Some even chose Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, but those votes were considered invalid.
“It is clear that AAP will win the Punjab election. In a way, the person chosen as the Chief Ministerial candidate will be the next Chief Minister of Punjab,” Kejriwal said at an auditorium in Mohali.
The auditorium erupted in cheers and slogan-shouting as a montage on Bhagwant Mann played out on a giant screen.
“People laughed when they see my face. But now they cry and say, save us,” Mann, a standup comic, said.
Punjab will vote on February 20 and the results will be declared on March 10.
AAP is the first — so far the only — party to announce a chief ministerial candidate in Punjab. It had avoided doing so in the previous election and this time round, had held out until now.
Last week, AAP asked the people of Punjab to dial, WhatsApp or SMS on 7074870748 to name their choice for Chief Minister.
AAP’s poster on the televote said: “Janta chunegi apna CM (People will choose their Chief Minister). Call 7074870748.”
Mann, AAP’s Punjab chief, had waited long for the party to name him as its presumptive chief minister.
Mann joined the AAP in 2014. He won the Lok Sabha election from Sangrur but lost in the 2017 Punjab polls to Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Singh Badal. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he won again from Sanrgur.
Known for his oratory in Parliament, Mann also enjoys a wide support base among people and party leaders. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said Mann received over 93 per cent of votes in the televoting drive in which people were asked to phone in their choice for the top post.
Frequently targeted by rivals over his drinking, Mann took a vow to never drink again at a party event in 2019, his mother by his side.
Reports had earlier suggested AAP was also in touch with Balbir Rajewal, a farm union leader, as a chief ministerial candidate.
Kejriwal told reporters last week that he wanted Mann for the top post but it was the MP who pushed for a public vote.
“Bhagwant Mann is very dear to me. He is my chhota bhai (younger brother). He is the biggest leader of AAP. I was also saying he should be the Chief Minister candidate. But then he said no…the people must decide,” said Kejriwal.
AAP has emerged as a strong challenger to Punjab’s ruling Congress in the coming elections. The other lead players are the BJP-Amarinder Singh alliance and the Akali Dal-led grouping.
In the 2017 assembly election, the Congress party won 77 of the 117 constituencies of Punjab. AAP had emerged second, winning 20 seats. The Akali Dal had won 15 seats and its now separated alliance partner BJP had won three seats.
