Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 13
The Aam Aadmi Party appears unsure on announcing Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial face, with party supremo Arvind Kejriwal rejecting himself as the top candidate and “leave it to the people” to decide. . The National Convener of the party today launched a number (7074870748) asking the people of Punjab to call/message or WhatsApp and give their choice of the party’s CM candidate.
“We want to leave the election to the people of Punjab, who can give us their choice by January 17,” he said. After this the candidate chosen by the people will be the face of the Chief Minister. Though Kejriwal said that he himself had asked Mann to be the CM face, the latter wanted the CM’s face to be “chosen by the people and not imposed on them”. “I told Mann that I should clear his name, but he gave me the idea that we should not choose the chief minister’s face in closed-door meetings,” Kejriwal said. But I will reiterate that I myself will not be the CM face.
public supreme
My personal choice is not important… Public choice is supreme. But I will reiterate that I will not be the CM face. -Arvind Kejriwal, AAP’s national convener
will play any role
I will perform any duty assigned by the party. If he wants, I will also stick a poster or wave the party’s flag (broom). -Bhagwant Mann, state AAP chief
However, Mann’s supporters dubbed it a “political stunt” by the party to gain public recognition for its choice. “Mann’s candidature for the party’s CM face is almost certain,” said an aide.
“Yesterday too, during the door-to-door campaign in Kharar, the public response and love for Mann was unprecedented and the top leaders of the party saw it for the first time,” he claimed.
Some of the AAP leaders felt that it was a strategy to delay the announcement of the CM face as no party had announced its CM candidate till now. Mann backed his party leader’s statement with Kejriwal saying: “I am a loyal party worker and I will fulfill whatever duty is assigned to me by the party. For me, it is more important that the CM than me. Trust me.”