Powered by
Sponsored by

Why AAP conducted a survey for its CM face in Punjab

Party leaders initially had reservations about Bhagwant Mann

bhagwant mann Bhagwant Mann | Twitter handle of AAP

It was with much fanfare that the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday declared Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections in Punjab.

While there was no surprise in the announcement made by national convenor Arvind Kejriwal at a much-hyped event in Mohali, what was different was the route the party chose to arrive at a decision on its CM pick.

If the declaration of Mann's name as the AAP's CM face was accompanied by beats of dhols and loud cheers from party workers, it was preceded by a telephonic survey to register the people's choice for the top post. Speculation was rife that Mann, AAP's Punjab unit president and two-time Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, would be declared the chief ministerial candidate. However, the party went in for a people's referendum to decide on its CM pick as part of a well-thought-out strategy.

Over the past few months, as AAP intensified its electioneering in Punjab, Kejriwal was the face of the campaign even as he had declared at the very outset that the party would have a Sikh leader from the state as its chief ministerial candidate. It is learnt that despite Mann's popularity and the vociferous demands by his supporters that he be declared the party's CM face, the AAP leadership had certain reservations about whether he would fare well as a counter to the bigwigs from the Congress and the Akali Dal.

Mann's alcoholism-ridden past also haunted him despite his public declaration that he had turned a teetotaller. Of late, there was a buzz about the AAP toying with the idea of declaring farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal as its CM candidate in the event of success of the party's talks with the farmers' unions that had entered the electoral fray.

More recently, it had become clear that the AAP leadership had veered around to the idea of projecting Mann as its CM face. However, to slay the demons of the past that haunted the comedian-turned-politician and to project him as the people's choice, the AAP decided to go in for a survey among the people. The AAP's strategy in Punjab was different from Uttarakhand, where it has declared former Army man Ajay Kothiyal as its CM face for the assembly elections.

The survey created the much-needed buzz to give the AAP's campaign an added boost, and the party's assessment is that it would help it at a time when it has emerged as the frontrunner in a tight race. The party can now demand from the other parties, especially the chaos-ridden ruling Congress, about who is their face for the election.

More than 21 lakh votes were registered in the telephonic survey. And leaving out the votes for Kejriwal as the CM face, Mann got 93.3 per cent votes. The purpose of the survey appeared to have been served, with Kejriwal declaring with relish that Congress state unit president, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is keen that his party declares him as the CM face, got only 3.6 per cent votes.

With the declaration of Mann as the chief ministerial candidate, the AAP made it clear that it would not repeat the mistake it had made in the assembly elections in 2017 when it had not declared a CM face. Kejriwal was the lead campaigner, and it is believed that the people assumed that he would be chief minister if the AAP won, and that hurt the party's chances as the voters of Punjab were not ready to accept a non-Punjabi as a CM probable.

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines