The poll results for the 2022 Assembly Elections were declared on Thursday, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won Punjab with a resounding majority. After getting 92 out of the total 117 seats, the party is set to replace Congress in the state. Out of the five states for which the elections were held, Punjab is the only one where a non-BJP party won. The Congress won 18 seats while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP won 3 and 2 states, respectively. This now makes the AAP the ruling party in Delhi and Punjab. Bhagwant Mann is the new Chief Minister for the state.
The confidence is sky high, and the party members have appeared for various statements and interviews. Delhi’s Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and AAP’s Punjab In-charge Raghav Chadha is one such person who has been talking to press post results.
Party’s aspirations
In his interview with the NDTV, Chadha was very vocal about the future aspirations of the party. He claimed how this victory is a sign that the AAP is now a national party. After completely wiping out Congress from the state of Punjab, the party has now its sights set on the centre. Chadha admitted to himself when he said that the AAP has “now become a national party”. He also claimed it to be the biggest opposition in the country, replacing Congress for that role.
“I see AAP becoming a national force. AAP is going to be the national and natural replacement of the Congress,” Chadha was quoted as saying. Talking about party leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, he said he led the party to victory and will lead the country one day.
Talking about the BJP
While comparing his party’s performance to the BJP, Chadha talked about the efficiency of AAP’s victories. He mentioned how it took the BJP “much more time” to win two states compared to the AAP, which was only founded in 2012. It must also be noted how the AAP had already crossed the halfway mark simply two hours into counting votes. Even stalwarts like Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal lost to relatively lesser-known AAP candidates.
Raghav Chadha also mentioned the party’s campaign song, “Ik Mauka Kejriwal Nu (give Kejriwal a chance)”, as he talked about potential reasons behind an outpour of support for the party. “The people of Punjab have seen the Kejriwal model of governance, and they want to try it out. For five decades, those who have kept the people of Punjab without the amenities they deserve and those who thought they would rule forever have now been thrown out. The people decided to teach them a lesson,” he said.
What is in store for the state?
Chadha said that the party would diligently revive Punjab’s economy and “restore its glory”. The AAP was also predicted to win the state back in 2017 but missed out as Congress got more significant support. However, he assured the people that the party understands the value of this victory.
