wins 90 seats, leads in 2
Chandigarh
After massive election victory the Aam Aadmi Party AAP stormed into power in Punjab, winning 89 seats and leading in 3, according to latest reports available.
In the 117-member Assembly, a party needs to get 59 seats to form the government. As per the data available at 6.45 pm, the Congress had won 17 seats and was leading in one, showing the ruling outfit performed poorly.
While the SAD won three seats, it’s ally BSP won one, and the BJP won two seats and one seat went to an Independent candidate.
The AAP tsunami made several stalwarts, including three former chief ministers, bite the dust.
Apart from Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who lost from his Chamkaur Sahib as well as Bhadaur, former CMs Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal were also among the heavyweights who were defeated.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and several Punjab Ministers also tasted defeat.
Prominent winners included AAP’s chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema from Dirba, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Kumar Sharma from Pathankot, Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa from Qadian and minister Rana Gurjeet Singh from Kapurthala.
In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, the Congress had ended the SAD-BJP’s 10-year rule by bagging 77 seats. AAP had managed to get 20 seats while the SAD-BJP had won 18. Two seats went to the Lok Insaaf Party.
“Many congratulations to the people of Punjab for this revolution,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
He also posted a picture of himself standing with AAP’s chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann. Mann won with a margin of 58,206 votes from Dhuri, defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy.
The oath-taking ceremony of the new Punjab cabinet will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district.
Mann said no government office will display photograph of the chief minister.
