Punjab Politics Gains Spotlight with AAP Defeat in Delhi
Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann Image credit AAP
Bhagwant Mann’s ‘Punjab Model’ Pitch Raises Eyebrows
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, February 11: Punjab politics is back in spotlight. The defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi is bringing ripple effects in Punjab.
Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann’s pitch on ‘Punjab Model’ is adding to grapevine in political circles. The AAP with 92 MLAs faces no immediate challenge in Punjab. The state has a total of 117 Assembly seats.
The AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is taking more interests in Punjab politics now. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun mocking at Kejriwal by claiming that he could seek to become the Punjab CM.
The Congress unit in Punjab is claiming that 30 MLAs of the AAP are ready to desert. Mann laughed away at claims of the Congress.
Mann asked the Congress to count MLAs of the party in Delhi. The Congress could not win any seat in Delhi. But Congress unit of Punjab chief Pratap Singh Bajwa claimed that land mafia is active in the state.
Bajwa said that the AAP government in Punjab is facing rampant disaffections among the people. He said that the AAP MLAs are growing unhappy with all-round failure of the Mann government.
Political circles are abuzz with conspiracy theories. Kejriwal’s decision to send his aide Bibhav Kumar to Punjab as an advisor to the government is fuelling speculations. The AAP MP Raghav Chadha had also previously been an advisor to the state government.
Reports said that the Chief Minister is growing unhappy at the interference of the AAP leaders in Punjab from Delhi. Mann had campaigned for the AAP in Delhi.
Experts said that after the defeat in Delhi, the interference of the top leadership of Aam Aadmi Party is sure to increase in Punjab. But the political conditions of Delhi and Punjab are quite different and the possibility of any external interference causing harm in Punjab cannot be ruled out.
The opposition has been alleging that the Punjab government is being run from Delhi.
The side effects of the defeat of Kejriwal and the AAP in Delhi may be seen in the coming times. In the last Lok Sabha elections also, the AAP suffered a big setback in Punjab. But the biggest setback has come from the defeat in Delhi.
Most of the AAP MLAs in Punjab have previously been in other parties. In such a situation, many MLAs can change sides in view of the future strategy.
Join the WhatsApp Channel of The Raisina Hills
Follow on Google News https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMNK2vwsw39HWAw?hl=en-IN&gl=IN&ceid=IN%3Aen
About The Author
