Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal poses for a photograph with Bhagwant Mann. (Twitter/@ArvindKejriwal)Punjab Election Results 2022 Highlights: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Bhagwant Mann will take oath as Punjab Chief Minister on March 16. He has invited Delhi CM and party president Arvind Kejriwal for the swearing-in ceremony. Mann will, along with Kejriwal, hold a roadshow in Amritsar on March 13, reported news agency ANI.
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The AAP had emerged victorious in the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022, with a sweeping victory on 92 out of the 117 assembly seats. The runner-up, Congress was able to secure 18 seats, while Shiromani Akali Dal won only three seats. Mann won from Dhuri Assembly seat by a margin of over 58,000 votes.
Meanwhile, after the Aam Aadmi Party’s sweeping victory Thursday, outgoing Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi met the Punjab Governor Friday and submitted his resignation. Taking a dig at his political rivals, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu Friday said: “People who dug holes for Sidhu got buried in holes 10ft deeper. Let bygones be bygones…”. Speaking to news agency ANI, he congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party for its victory in the Punjab Assembly elections.
A man wearing a Bhagwant Maan printed t-shirt celebrates AAP's sweeping victory in Punjab, on Thursday. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Friday advised the newly-elected MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to remain humble after the massive victory in the Assembly polls and not get into browbeating political opponents.
Speaking to the MLAs in Mohali after being elected leader of the party’s legislative group, Mann said they should not forget that they are also the MLAs of those who did not vote for them.
“I want to request. We should not be arrogant. We should not go to anyone’s house and challenge him. Tell this to your volunteers also. You are also the MLAs of those who have not voted for you. This government has been made by all Punjabis,” he said. Man Aman Singh Chhina reports
The Aam Aadmi Party will hold victory processions across Uttar Pradesh on March 12 to celebrate its resounding victory in the Punjab Assembly polls, party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said here on Friday.
He said the AAP's victory in Punjab shows that people have accepted the party as a national alternative and want to use the broom (AAP's election symbol) to clean politics.
The AAP will set up a strong organisation up to the village level in Uttar Pradesh to ensure equal rights for all. Work in this direction will start immediately, Singh said. (PTI)
Stating that Punjab chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann has told the AAP legislators that they don’t have to fight with anyone, party MLA Jeevanjot Kaur, who defeated Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar East segment, said: “We have to treat everyone equally. We will fulfill the promises we have made to the public.”
Kaur was speaking to the reporters after the Legislative Party meeting in Mohali Friday.
Punjab chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Friday asked newly elected AAP MLAs to spend most of their time in villages and cities to resolve issues of public. 'Work there where we sought votes,” Mann told the MLAs.
"The government will run from villages, wards, mohallas. Go and meet people, have tea with them. Take officers along and resolve their issues," Mann said in a brief address during a meeting of the AAP's legislature party. "Spend minimum time in Chandigarh,” he advised them.
"You are MLAs of those people also who did not vote for you... You are MLAs of Punjabis and the government is formed by Punjabis,” he said. (PTI)
Thirteen doctors have been elected as legislators in Punjab for the first time, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain claimed on Friday, a day after the AAP stormed to power in the state bagging a record 92 of the 117 assembly seats.
Senior Congress leader and MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor also congratulated the AAP and its Punjab CM elect Bhagwant Mann for this feat. (PTI)
The Election Commission on Friday lifted the model code of conduct which was in force in five states where assembly polls were held recently.
The model code of conduct came into place on January 8 in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur where polls were held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. The results were announced on Thursday.
In a communication to the cabinet secretary and chief secretaries of Assam and the five states, the commission said after the declaration of results, the model code has ceased to be in force. (PTI)
Speaking during the AAP Legislative Party meeting in Mohali on Friday night, Punjab CM-elect Bhagwant Mann said: “I appeal to you all (newly-elected MLAs) to not get arrogant. We have to respect even those who didn't vote for us. All MLAs must work in the areas from where they have been elected, not just stay in Chandigarh.”
After the elections, the state assemblies of Goa and Punjab have acquired a younger profile and a greater representation for women.
The number of women MLAs in Punjab have more than doubled to 13 from six in the outgoing assembly. The Goa assembly has three women legislators, against two in the previous House, according to an analysis done by PRS Legislative.
The proportion of MLAs aged 55 years or below in the Punjab assembly has increased to 65.8 per cent in 2022 from 57.2 per cent in 2017. Of the 117 elected MLAs in Punjab, 68 - 58.2 per cent - have at least a Bachelor's degree, which is slightly lower than the 59.8 per cent in 2017. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday termed the assembly poll results unfortunate, but said the party will win back the confidence of people soon.
The Congress received a drubbing in assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur and drew a blank, losing Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party. (PTI)
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit Friday dissolved the 15th Vidhan Sabha, an official spokesperson here said, a day after results for the assembly polls were announced.
The move comes after Charanjit Singh Channi submitted his resignation as chief minister to the governor following the Congress party's drubbing in the polls.
The Channi-led cabinet in a virtual meeting here had recommended dissolution of the assembly, paving the way for the constitution of a new Aam Aadmi Party-led legislature. (PTI)
Bhagwant Mann will take oath as the chief minister of Punjab on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of iconic freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, party sources said on Friday after he met the party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.
On March 13, the party will take out a roadshow in Amritsar. Both the events will be attended by Kejriwal, the sources said.
A day after the Aam Aadmi Party's stupendous victory, Mann met Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal at his residence on Friday and extended an invitation to him to attend both the events, the sources said. (PTI)
Scores of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers took out a victory rally to celebrate the party's win in Punjab Assembly elections, in Gurugram Friday.
(PTI Photo)
Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said as the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, he takes responsibility for his party's defeat in the Punjab assembly election and the SAD's core-committee will meet on March 14 to analyse the poll results.
The Aam Aadmi Party scripted a stellar victory in Punjab on Thursday, winning a three-fourth majority pulverising its rivals.
The elections dealt a body blow to the Shiromani Akali Dal, which ruled the state several times, as its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his father Parkash Singh Badal, both former chief ministers, fell by the wayside. Badal said, "As party president, I take the responsibility for the defeat." He said his party accepts the people's mandate whole-heartedly. (PTI)
Asserting that he accepted the people's mandate, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party for its victory in the Punjab Assembly elections 2022.
"You reap what you sow...This election was for a change...people took a great decision...public is never wrong...I'm not going into a deep thought of whether people accepted Channi's face as CM's candidate or not," Sidhu was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday hit out at the Congress for blaming the anti-incumbency of his four-and-half-years tenure for the poor show in assembly polls, saying the party's leadership will never learn.
Punjab Lok Congress chief Singh, who was unseated from the post of chief minister last year, asked the grand old party who is responsible for its drubbing in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
“The @INCIndia leadership will never learn! Who is responsible for the humiliating defeat of Congress in UP? What about Manipur, Goa, Uttrakhand? The answer is written in BOLD LETTERS on the wall but as always I presume they will avoid reading it,” said Singh in a tweet. (PTI)
After the Aam Aadmi Party’s sweeping victory in Punjab Assembly elections, party CM candidate Bhagwant Mann met AAP president Arvind Kejriwal and party leader Manish Sisodia in Delhi on Friday.
Punjab's Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, reacting to the election results, said that the public is never wrong.
"You reap what you sow...This election was for a change...people took a great decision... the public is never wrong...I'm not going into a deep thought of whether people accepted Channi's face as CM's candidate or not," he told news agency ANI.
Punjab was in the throes of an economic, sociological and environmental meltdown when the state assembly elections turned into a political tornado. The Aam Aadmi Party uprooted not only a whole forest of leaders from Parkash Singh Badal to Amarinder Singh but possibly the Congress party from the national mantlepiece as well.
The trajectory of the decimation of the traditional parties is not difficult to map. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was identified with and supported by the Sikhs and the farmers. (Read more)
Outgoing Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi in Chandigarh said that he will continue to serve the people of Punjab
'We will always be there to serve the people of Punjab. We will continue doing our duty and be among them. I request the new government to continue the public welfare projects and schemes that we brought in, in the last 111 days,' said Channi.
'I have given my resignation to the Governor. He told me and the cabinet to continue until the new Government is sworn in. I accept the people's mandate,' he added.
A meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party's Legislative Committee will be held in Chandigarh Friday evening, reported news agency ANI.
In the meeting, newly-elected MLAs are expected to unanimously elect Bhagwant Mann, who is AAP's CM candidate, as their leader.
Sitting Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who lost his seats in the 2022 Assembly elections, said that he has given his resignation to the state Governor.
Speaking to news agency ANI in Chandigarh, Channi said the Governor has asked him to continue discharging his duties until the new cabinet is sworn in.
Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi coming out from Punjab Raj Bhawan after submitted his resignation @iepunjab @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/iVjCUm6drm
— kamleshwar singh (@ks_express16) March 11, 2022
Over the years, this line has figured in almost every speech by Arvind Kejriwal: “Mujhe rajneeti karni nahi hai aati, ji (I don’t know how to do politics).” But the line that comes immediately after captures the essence of AAP’s political appeal: “Par mujhe school banana aata hai, aspatal banana aata hai (But I know how to build schools, hospitals).”
Following Thursday’s spectacular win in Punjab, which pitchforked the party on to the national stage, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh now figure prominently on AAP’s radar, senior leaders told The Indian Express. (Read more)
No Dalit consolidation: Much of the poll narrative was centred on Dalits, who form 32% of Punjab’s population. It was said the Congress decision to choose a Dalit CM in Charanjit Singh Channi would consolidate their votes. But Channi lost both his seats. And Dalits did not vote en masse.
No to politics of religion: For long, Punjab voters were influenced by deras and godmen. Although political parties wooed deras this time too, their writ did not run. The issue of sacrilege, which held much sway in 2017, did not cut any ice either. Punjab voters did not let religion influence them. (Read more)
The Congress, its footprint shrunk to just two states, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, from the nine it had when Narendra Modi took charge in May 2014, was once again staring at a crisis of credibility and leadership.
This crisis isn’t new — the party has won just five of the 45 elections held since 2014. But what struck a different note this time was that even the familiar refrain of the need to re-invent was absent. Instead, there is a sense of despair and a foreboding of impending internal upheaval. (Read more)
AAP leader and Punjab CM candidate Bhagwant Mann Friday left his house to meet party leader Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi.
On her way back home after casting vote on February 20, Bholi Kaur was apprehensive if March 10 will usher in any change for the village she has been living in for around 30 years now after getting married.
In Masol, on Punjab-Haryana border, merely eight kilometers from Chandigarh, residents have given up all hopes of things improving for the village, which remained bereft of basic amenities, witnessed mass exodus and was in limelight a few years ago after Archeological Survey of India (ASI) carried out excavations looking for what is believed to be millions of years old fossils.
Another villager Sita Ram, who works with a contractor to clear wild bushes as the mighty buy land in the region, says, “Nothing is going to change for village, whichever party forms the government.” (Read more)
The government will have to work hard to fix the economy of Punjab, for it will not be in a position to fulfil most of its promises if it doesn’t have the funds.
At present, the Punjab government has an outstanding debt of Rs 3 lakh crore, which is 56 per cent of its GSDP. In 2020-21, the government spent 54 per cent of its tax revenue on repaying the interest on its debt. Its per capita income has also been falling continuously for the last two decades, taking it from No. 3 among the states to No. 19 last year. (Read more)
While choosing a leader, age doesn’t matter and assets don’t matter too.
Jalalabad voters proved it right as they chose AAP’s Jagdeep Goldy Kamboj, (35) over Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Goldy, who had declared assets worth just Rs 3 crore, defeated the veteran politician, who has assets worth Rs 202 crore, by a margin of 30,930 votes.
Kamboj has a long association with Congress and was the general secretary of youth Congress and even the incharge of Haryana and J&K youth Congress before he quit the party in 2019. He had contested as an Independent candidate in the 2019 Jalalabad bypoll after being denied ticket by Congress but had received only 5,000 votes. (Read more)
AAP's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann is scheduled to visit Delhi today to meet party convener Arvind Kejriwal.
The Aam Aadmi Party storm made the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party hit one of the lowest ebbs in their electoral history of Punjab since it was carved out as a separate state in 1966.
In the worst-ever electoral performance in the 13 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections held after the reorganisation in 1966, 100-year-old Shiromani Akali Dal could not get to double digit mark, hitting another low this time winning only three seats as compared to 15 seats it had won in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha in 2017 elections. The only SAD candidates who won were Bikram Singh Majithia’s wife Ganieve Kaur (from Majitha), Manpreet Singh Ayali from Dakha and Dr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi from Banga. SAD won a seat each in Majha, Malwa and Doaba region. (Read more)
On June 22, 2017, during the first major Vidhan Sabha session in Punjab after the state polls, several AAP legislators were dragged out of the House on the Speaker’s orders, their turbans getting dislodged in the melee. It was a clear message from the Congress to the “upstart” party, which had emerged as the main Opposition, on who was the boss in Punjab.
Nearly five years later, AAP has bounced back from infighting, mass desertion and losses in every subsequent poll in the state since then, to claim the largest mandate in recent years and trounce the Congress as well as SAD. It was a clear message from AAP on who was the new boss in Punjab. (Read more)
It is premature to write the epitaph of a party as old as the Congress, which still has a pan-Indian footprint. But the resounding rejection of the party in the Assembly elections poses the worst crisis it has ever faced, as well as the big question: where does it go from here?
The Congress was in power in just three states – Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Mizoram – when Sonia Gandhi took over as Congress president in 1998. From there, it won state after state, returning to power at the Centre in 2004. In 2014, it was in power in nine states. Today, the Congress is worse off than it was 24 years ago — it is ruling in only two states, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. (Read more)
AAP sweep: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had first entered the Punjab poll arena in the 2012 Lok Sabha elections, went on to become the main opposition after the 2017 Assembly elections and has now swept the state with a record 92 seats, the best ever performance by any party after the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966. It signifies a shift away from the two traditional rivals, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal. Increasingly, people had begun to see them as having let the state drift.
Drubbing for SAD: Voters sent a stern message to the oldest party of Punjab, SAD, which celebrated 100 years in 2020. The message is clear: shape up or perish. Once a cadre-driven party known for its morchas and agitations for the people, SAD had turned into a family party presided over by the Badals, both of whom lost.Read full report here…
AAP was not the only one promising “badlaav” in Punjab. Riding high on the wave of the successful Delhi morcha, farmers unions’ promised the same through their political front — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM). But the farmers’ front too was decimated in the AAP wave with 93 out of its 94 candidates, who entered the fray as Independents, lost their security deposit. SSM chief Balbir Singh Rajewal (79), who was SKM coordinator playing key role in the farmers’ agitation, was also among the contestants who could not save his security deposit as he lost the poll battle from Samrala.
The SSM was floated by 22 out of 32 farmer unions from Punjab on December 25, 2021 after farm agitation at Delhi borders had ended after repeal of the farm laws. Read Raakhi Jagga's report
The Aam Aadmi Party storm made the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party hit one of the lowest ebbs in their electoral history of Punjab since it was carved out as a separate state in 1966.
In the worst-ever electoral performance in the 13 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections held after the reorganisation in 1966, 100-year-old Shiromani Akali Dal could not get to double digit mark, hitting another low this time winning only three seats compared with 15 it had won in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha in 2017 elections. The only SAD candidates who won were Bikram Singh Majithia’s wife Ganieve Kaur (from Majitha), Manpreet Singh Ayali from Dakha and Dr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi from Banga. SAD won a seat each in Majha, Malwa and Doaba regions.
The February 20 elections in Punjab proved their Waterloo for the majority of the big guns, including chief ministerial candidates of Congress and Shiromani Akali, as they were routed by AAP nominees. Read Navjeevan Gopal's report
“Pehle Dilli mein inquilaab hua, phir Punjab mein inquilaab hua, ab yeh inquilaab poore desh ke andar phailega (The revolution came to Delhi first, then Punjab, now it will spread to the entire country)”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said while addressing a crowd of ecstatic party workers at the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi on Thursday following the party’s massive mandate in Punjab.
“Badi badi kursiyaan hil gayi hain Punjab ke andar,” Kejriwal said. “Sukhbir Singh Badal lost, Captain saheb lost, Channi saheb lost, Parkash Singh Badal saheb lost, Navjot Singh Sidhu lost, Bikram Singh Majithia lost. The people of Punjab have worked wonders, and this is a big revolution,” he said.
The AAP chief said that the dream of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh is now coming true: “Bhagat Singh had said once that after getting Independence, if we don’t change the system, then nothing will happen. It is sad that in the past 75 years, these parties and politicians have kept the British system. They were looting the country. No schools or hospitals were made. People were deliberately kept poor. The AAP has changed this system in the past seven years. We began the politics of integrity.” Read Abhinaya Harigovind's report
Over the years, this line has figured in almost every speech by Arvind Kejriwal: “Mujhe rajneeti karni nahi hai aati, ji (I don’t know how to do politics).” But the line that comes immediately after captures the essence of AAP’s political appeal: “Par mujhe school banana aata hai, aspatal banana aata hai (But I know how to build schools, hospitals).” Following Thursday’s spectacular win in Punjab, which pitchforked the party on to the national stage, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh now figure prominently on AAP’s radar, senior leaders told The Indian Express.
In Gujarat, where elections are expected this year-end, the party is already on campaign mode as it seeks to capitalise on its moment in history by filling the space vacated by a diminishing Congress. Next month, Kejriwal and Punjab’s Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann are expected to travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state to add muscle to AAP’s campaign.
In Delhi, it was the Congress voter that shifted to AAP. Whenever the Congress performs relatively well, as it did in the municipal polls in 2017, the AAP suffers. This is why AAP sees a window in Himachal Pradesh, which goes to vote before Gujarat. Read full report
On June 22, 2017, during the first major Vidhan Sabha session in Punjab after the state polls, several AAP legislators were dragged out of the House on the Speaker’s orders, their turbans getting dislodged in the melee. It was a clear message from the Congress to the “upstart” party, which had emerged as the main Opposition, on who was the boss in Punjab.
Nearly five years later, AAP has bounced back from infighting, mass desertion and losses in every subsequent poll in the state since then, to claim the largest mandate in recent years and trounce the Congress as well as SAD. It was a clear message from AAP on who was the new boss in Punjab.
Today, over eight years after it first emerged as a formidable force in Delhi, AAP has marked a tectonic shift in national politics, winning 92 of 117 seats in Punjab with a vote share of 42.1 per cent, up from 20 seats and a vote share of 23.7 per cent last time. Read full report
AAP was not the only one promising “badlaav” in Punjab. Riding high on the wave of the successful Delhi morcha, farmers unions’ promised the same through their political front — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM).
But the farmers’ front too was decimated in the AAP wave with 93 out of its 94 candidates, who entered the fray as Independents, lost their security deposit. SSM chief Balbir Singh Rajewal (79), who was SKM coordinator playing key role in the farmers’ agitation, was also among the contestants who could not save his security deposit as he lost the poll battle from Samrala. (Read more)
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, who was part of the `Group of 23' which had demanded reforms in the Congress organization, on Thursday said the election results in five states were "frustrating but not unexpected".
The party went to the polls with a "defeated mindset", the former Maharashtra chief minister said, adding that the leaders who had written (to Congress president Sonia Gandhi) about the need for reforms will discuss the issue again. The Congress failed to oust the BJP from power in Goa, and could not retain power in Punjab which was swept by the Aam Aadmi Party.
Chavan said that in Goa party legislators' issues were not handled properly, and they switched the sides. Congress fought in Goa with all its might this time, but had to rely on new faces, he noted. (PTI)
Several party hoppers including Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Fatehjang Singh Bajwa and Anil Joshi faced defeats in their respective constituencies on Thursday. Ahead of the assembly polls, several leaders had switched over to other parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Former sports minister Sodhi was defeated from Ferozepur City seat, according to election results. AAP candidate Ranbir Singh won from Ferozepur seat by defeating his nearest rival Congress candidate Parminder Singh Pinki.
Sodhi had been a four-time MLA from Guruharsahai in Ferozepur Former Congress leader Bajwa, who had joined the BJP, fought from Batala seat. He came fourth. (PTI)
The Aam Aadmi Party which won the assembly elections in Punjab needs to perform well in the next set of assembly polls, likely to be held either later this year or early 2023, to become a claimant for National Party status.
A party needs State Party status in four states to automatically become a national party, a former Election Commission official said on Thursday quoting provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is already a State Party in Delhi and Punjab. While it is already in power in Delhi, it is set to take over Punjab following its performance in the state. Citing provisions of the Order, he said a party needs eight per cent of votes in a state to get State Party status.
"There are multiple alternatives. If a party gets six per cent votes and two seats in legislative assembly, it gets the status of a State Party. Another alternative to get State Party status is to get at least three seats in assembly irrespective of vote share," the former poll panel official said. (PTI)
SAD- 18.38%
SP- 0.03%
Others- 7.35%
With a landslide victory in Punjab under its belt, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears set to make big inroads in Rajya Sabha. Elections have been announced to five Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab and the AAP might bag all of them, taking its total in the Upper House to eight.
The AAP already has three members - all from Delhi - in Rajya Sabha. It stands to gain in Punjab as two different elections will be held for the five Rajya Sabha seats - one for three seats and another for the remaining two. Among the retiring members from Punjab are Partap Singh Bajwa and Samsher Singh Dullo (both Congress), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Naresh Gujral (both Akali Dal) and Shwait Malik (BJP).
Two more members - Balwinder Singh Bhunder (Akali Dal) and Ambika Soni (Congress) - from the state will complete their tenure in July and the AAP may bag both. With the AAP declaring Bhagwant Mann, who is Lok Sabha member from Sangrur, as its chief ministerial candidate, the party is set to lose representation in the lower house. Mann is the lone AAP member in Lok Sabha. (PTI)
Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal congratulated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after their victory in Punjab polls. In a tweet, the leader said, "Congratulations to the @AAPPunjab and @BhagwantMann for winning the people’s mandate. We accept the verdict of Punjab with the utmost humility. Thank you to all my Congress workers and supporters during this election."
Till hours before counting of votes began in Punjab, Congress still hoped that the ‘Channi factor’ — naming Charanjit Singh Channi as the party’s CM face — would do the trick in a keenly contested Assembly poll. The result day, however, saw the ruling party decimated to less than 20 seats in the state that gave it 77 MLAs in 2017.
What was seen as Congress’s masterstroke in naming Channi, an SC leader, first as the CM and later as party’s CM candidate in a bid to polarise SC votes did not have the impact the incumbent party desired.(Read more)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while making a victory speech after BJP's win in four out of five state in the Assembly elections, congratulated and thanked the BJP workers in Punjab. The BJP could only secure two seats in the state.
'I would also like to praise the Punjab BJP workers, who worked under adverse circumstances. I am sure in the coming years, BJP will emerge as a major force in Punjab. It is a border state, and so BJP workers in Punjab will make sure separatist sentiments don't take root there,' the PM said during the speech.
Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday emerged victorious in the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022, with a sweeping victory on 92 seats out of the 117 assembly seats. The runner-up, Congress was able to secure 18 seats, while Shiromani Akali Dal won only three seats.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said the party accepts the mandate of assembly elections held in five states. Reacting to the election results of five states, the senior Congress leader also extended wished to all those who have won the elections.
He tweeted, 'Though we expected better results, we accept the mandate of 2022 state elections.' He further said, “Congress leaders and workers have worked very hard. We humbly accept the results and wish all the best to all those who have won the election. I hope those people will fulfill what they have promised.' The BJP was headed for a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the trends chart in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, while the Aam Aadmi Party readied for a landslide win in Punjab. The Congress was headed for a big defeat in all the five states. (PTI)
The initial trends appear to suggest that it will be a clean sweep for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab. Here are the five reasons why it’s leaping ahead of the two traditional parties – the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – who have ruled the state for the last seven decades.
1. The clamour for change
In Punjab, power has traditionally alternated between the SAD, which had a 24-year-long partnership with the BJP from 1997 to 2021, and Congress, with the former winning in 2007 and 2012. (Read more)
One of the biggest upsets this election is state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s loss in Amritsar East, where he was locked in a high-profile contest with Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Sidhu – who was sent thrice to Parliament from Amritsar, all three on a BJP ticket, and once to the Punjab Assembly, as the Congress candidate from Amritsar East – has conceded defeat.
He put out a tweet saying, “The voice of the people is the voice of God …. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab …. Congratulations to Aap !!!”
Read the full article: Navjot Singh Sidhu, the perpetual rebel, loses high-profile Amritsar East seat by Kamaldeep Singh Brar
He calls his party’s quest for power “Punjab nu Punjab banaan di ladai (The battle to regain the real Punjab),” swears by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, wears the freedom fighter’s trademark ‘basanti’ (yellow) turban and usually rallies the crowds with ‘inquilab zindabad’.
Meet Bhagwant Singh Mann, 48, a former comedian who’s covered the momentous journey from being a political novice to the CM face of Aam Aadmi Party Party in less than 11 years. With the AAP set to sweep the elections in the state, Mann, who is leading in his constituency of Dhuri, is all set to be AAP’s second chief minister after Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.
The party declared him its CM face on January 19, barely a month before the elections after a phone-in poll which it claimed received 2.15 million responses with over 93 percent voting for Mann. (Read full article by Manraj Grewal Sharma)
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal lost to AAP's Jagdeep Kamboj from Jalalabad seat in Punjab's Fazilka district, according to poll results declared on Thursday. Sukhbir, the son of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, lost by a margin of 30,930 votes.
Notably, Sukhbir who is SAD MP from Ferozepur, had entered the fray from Jalalabad assembly constituency. Sukhbir has earlier been a three-time legislator. Counting of votes for the 117 assembly seats in Punjab began on Thursday amid tight security arrangements. (PTI)
A stunning silence prevails outside the Badal mansion in Badal village and only a few cars are seen parked outside the house of the former Punjab Chief Minister. Opposite the mansion, a group of people gather at an eating joint and fixate their eyes on the TV set showing minute-by-minute updates of the Punjab Assembly election.
Sipping through his cup, a customer at the eating joint, Ramandeep Singh says, “After round 11, senior Badal — Parkash Singh Badal — is trailing by 10,544 votes and five more rounds are yet to go. He had started trailing by 1,400 votes in round one and the gap kept increasing. It seems it will be difficult to cover the gap.” By the end of the counting, Badal lost by 11,357 votes. (Read the full article by Raakhi Jagga)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday evening accepted defeat as the Aam Aadmi Party crossed the victory margin in the Punjab polls. The SAD leader took to Twitter and said, "We whole-heartedly & with total humility accept the mandate given by Punjabis."
He also said, "I am grateful to lakhs of Punjabis who placed their trust in us & to to SAD-BSP workers for their selfless toil. We will continue to serve them with humility in the role they have assigned to us."
"As president of Akali Dal, I congratulate AAP, AAP Punjab, and their leader Bhagwant Mann on their victory in Punjab poll. I offer them my sincerest good wishes for success and I am sure they will live up to the people’s expectations," Badal added.
With the counting of votes approaching an end in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party crossed the majority at 79 seats at 5 pm. The Congress which is the ruling party could only manage 13 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) register victory only on three seats.
It’s curtains for Parkash Singh Badal, 94, the five-time chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch who reigned over Punjab politics for over seven decades. On Thursday, he lost from his pocket borough of Lambi.
Badal entered the political arena as the youngest sarpanch of the country at 20, went on to become the youngest chief minister at 43, and is now bowing out as the oldest candidate in the history of Assembly polls in the country with his party almost decimated at the hustings. (Read the full article by Manraj Grewal Sharma)
Victory certificate was handed over to Gurpreet Gogi, in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, counting observer and returning officer. Gogi was declared winner from Ludhiana West with a margin of 7512 votes.