Bhagwant Mann is AAP’s chief ministerial face for Punjab polls

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday (January 18) announced Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab.

Making the announcement at a public event, AAP chief and national convener Arvind Kejriwal said that Mann’s name was chosen after taking into consideration the opinion of over 21 lakh people during the party’s ‘Janta Chunegi Apna CM’ (Public Will Choose its CM) campaign.

Bhagwant Mann will be the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections pic.twitter.com/jltwyeCeeD

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2022

Mann, 48, is a two-time MP from Sangrur and is the party’s state unit chief.

The party had received 21.59 lakh responses under its campaign to elect its chief ministerial face for the Assembly polls, party leaders said.

AAP is the only outfit among major parties contesting the polls which has announced its chief ministerial face.

The Congress, which is in power in the state, is yet to announce its chief ministerial candidate, but has sparked speculations of considering Charanjit Channi for the post via a video posted on its official Twitter page. In the video, actor Sonu Sood says the party will only choose a leader from the “backbenches” and one who deserves the top post as its chief ministerial candidate and not those who keep asserting themselves. The video is accompanied by a montage of Channi.

Voting for Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats is scheduled for February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.