Bhagwant Mann likely to take oath as Punjab CM on March 16, Arvind Kejriwal invited
Categories: Election 2022
Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann is likely to take oath as Punjab chief minister on Wednesday (March 16, 2022), news agency ANI quoted sources as saying on Friday.According to reports, Mann, who was the party’s main face and its chief ministerial candidate in Punjab, has also invited Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Mann arrived in the national capital this morning. This was Mann's first meeting with Kejriwal after the assembly election results were declared on Thursday. AAP leader Raghav Chadha, who has been overseeing the party's Punjab affairs, and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was also present in the meeting. He also touched Kejriwal`s feet and sought his blessings.The AAP had a registered landslide win in the Punjab Assembly polls by winning 92 seats to form its government in the state with a three-fourth majority in the 117-member legislative assembly. The chief minister-elect also took a dig at horse-trading politics saying, "We can call our legislative party meeting anytime we want. We don`t have to rush or worry as our MLAs are honest they are not running away to other states.Punjab witnessed a multi-cornered contest with key players being Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, and the coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party-former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh`s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress won 77 seats whereas Shiromani Akali Dal could win only 15 seats, BJP netted three and independent candidates won two seats. AAP had emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats.