CHANDIGARH: Bhagwant Mann was unanimously chosen by the public as the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab elections, party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday.While it requited a thumping 93 per cent of respondents voting in a phone line survey to get the official stamp, Mann’s candidature was a mere formality as his name had been okayed by the party’s top leadership last month.
‘‘As many as 21,59,437 people had expressed their opinion on the helpline released by AAP on January 13. 93.3 per cent of respondents elected Bhagwant Mann as their choice to be Punjab’s CM and now party officially declares him as its CM candidate too. Navjot Singh Sidhu came out as second choice with 3.6 per cent votes. Every Punjabi is proud of my younger brother,’’ Kejriwal said.
“Traditionally, parties often hand over the power to their immediate family members and relatives. If I had declared him as the chief ministerial candidate on my own, people would have said that I’ve chosen my brother... That’s why we started a new democratic tradition to elect the CM candidate. For the first time in the history of India, the people of Punjab have chosen their chief minister candidate.’’
Thanking people for choosing him, Mann asserted that he would fulfil every responsibility that was bestowed upon him by the party as well as the people of Punjab. ‘‘It is an important day for him and party. My responsibility has doubled.’’
The two-time Sangrur MP reiterated that the AAP’s agenda of eradicating drugs from Punjab and of providing employment and quality education would be on top of his list. ‘‘My dream is to make Punjab drug-free, to provide sufficient employment, best and free education (to the youth) and make agriculture and farmers prosperous.’’
Mann’s political career began in 2011 when he joined People’s Party of Punjab. He lost in the 2012 Assembly polls. Two years on, he joined the AAP and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Sangrur and again in 2019.