CM-Designate Bhagwant Mann Leaves for Delhi to Meet Kejriwal Post Historic Win, Portfolios on Agenda

The morning after winning a historic mandate, AAP’s chief ministerial face and MLA from Dhuri, Bhagwant Mann, left his Sangrur residence for Delhi to meet national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“I am going to meet our national convenor who formed the party, to congratulate him and after that, will work for Punjab,” said Mann before leaving for Delhi. The meeting between Kejriwal and the Punjab CM-designate is being viewed as more than a courtesy call. On the agenda is discussion on the names of MLAs who would be given the cabinet portfolios. Of the staggering 92 MLA who have won, the party leadership has to zero in on the names of 17. AAP’s Punjab co-incharge Raghav Chadha was also with Mann.

Mann said he would be seeking an appointment with Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit on Friday to meet him the following day and formally stake claim to form the government. While Mann has already said the oath-taking ceremony will not be in Raj Bhavan but in Khatkal Kalan, the village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, the date for the same is yet to be decided. The oath-taking ceremony will follow the template that Kejriwal has adhered to — each time he won, Kejriwal took oath at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan instead of the Raj Bhavan.

Basking in the success of his victory, Mann also took potshots at the Congress, saying the meeting of the elected MLAs could happen within a day or two as the party “does not have to send them to Rajasthan because all of them are honest”, taking a dig at the Grand Old Party’s resort politics.

The AAP decimated not just the incumbent Congress and the Akalis but the party’s faces, some absolutely fresh, went on to defeat the stalwart leaders of each party. Labh Singh Ugkoke defeated sitting chief minister Charanjeet Singh Channi from Bhadaur, Jeevanjot Kaur defeated Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bikram Singh Majithia, Ajit Pal Singh Kohli defeated former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Dr Charanjeet Singh defeated sitting chief minister Channi who contested from two seats. The AAP tsunami also swept away Akali patriarch Parkash Badal who lost to AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Khudiyan and Sukhbir Badal was defeated by AAP’s Jagdeep Kamboj.

Asked to articulate the change in order in Punjab, Mann said, “Be himmat hote hain woh/Jo baithkar shikwa karein mukaddar ka/Ugne waale ug jaate hai/Seena paadh kar patharon ka /Manzil ke maathe par takthi lagti unke naamon ki/Jo ghar se bana kar chalte hain naksha apne safaron ka”.

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