AAP to announce Punjab CM candidate tomorrow, says party chief Arvind Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that his party will announce the chief ministerial candidate for Punjab assembly elections on Tuesday. The announcement will be made at 12 noon, the Delhi chief minister further told reporters.
He made the remarks after flagging off Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC’s) first electric bus in the national capital.
Kejriwal had released a phone number and asked people of Punjab to respond to tell them who they want to see as AAP’s chief ministerial face. At the same press conference, he had said that the party was keen to give the responsibility to Bhagwant Mann, but he himself suggested the idea of asking for people’s choice.
On Sunday, AAP MLA Harpal Singh Cheema said that the party received around 15 lakh responses on its “Janta Chunegi Apna CM” drive.
Kejriwal had ruled himself out of the race when the drive was launched last week and said the name of the candidate for the top post will be announced after getting the feedback of people.
The people of Punjab have been asked to give their choice through SMS, WhatsApp or voice message on mobile number 7074870748 till 5pm on Monday.
The enthusiasm shown by the people of the state is a testament that this time, the AAP will most definitely form the government in Punjab and that too, with a clear majority, Cheema said.
Cheema said the people of Punjab will “wipe out the traditional political parties” in the upcoming polls and give the mandate to the AAP.
AAP, meanwhile, released its 10th list of candidates for the Punjab assembly elections.
Voting for Punjab’s 117 assembly seats will be held in a single phase on February 14. The results will be declared on March 10.
In the 2017 assembly polls, the Congress had won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government after 10 years.
The AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats, followed by the SAD which managed victory on 15 seats. The BJP had secured three seats.