Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: If AAP declares Bhagwant Mann as the CM face, it could consolidate his numbers further as the total support for Kejriwal and Mann is almost 10 per cent more than Channi and 5 per cent more than Channi and Sidhu put together.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will announce the name of its Chief Ministerial candidate for Punjab Assembly elections next week, says party convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday. The 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls on February 14, and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
“We assure people of Punjab to improve law and order situation and ensure justice in all previous incidents of sacrilege if AAP comes to power. Security will be ensured to all – be it PM or anyone else. Name of CM’s face will be announced next week”, he said while talking to reporters in Chandigarh. Notably, Kejriwal is on a two-day visit to Punjab from today.
AAP may just fall short of majority
As per the ABP-C- Voter survey, Kejriwal’s AAP is projected to poll 40 per cent of votes in Punjab. But despite the lead in vote share, AAP may just fall short of the majority due to the regional distribution of voter base. Also, Congress is expected to benefit from its Mayawati moment by installing the first Dalit CM in the state, Charanjit Singh Channi, thus consolidating its hold over Dalit voters.
Who’s The Most Preferred CM?
On the other hand, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is preferred by 29 per cent Punjabis as the CM candidate in polls, and interestingly this number corresponds to the rough headcount of the Dalit population in Punjab. Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu is preferred by only 6 per cent of the voters. AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal is preferred by 17 per cent of voters while Sukhbir Singh Badal of the SAD is the choice of 15 per cent Punjabis.
The surprise of the pack is AAP’s Bhagwant Mann, who has shot to 23 per cent approval rating in the latest round of the survey, up from 13 per cent last time. If AAP declares him as the CM face, it could consolidate his numbers further as the total support for Kejriwal and Mann is almost 10 per cent more than Channi and 5 per cent more than Channi and Sidhu put together.
