Lagatar24 Desk
Chandigarh, Jan 13: On the second day of Punjab tour, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday launched a phone number, 70748 70748 for voters to choose a candidate less than 24 hours after Kejriwal stated he will unveil the party’s CM face in Punjab.
The Delhi CM, who has ruled himself out of the Punjab CM contest, has advised Punjabis to contact, text, or WhatsApp their preferred CM candidate.
“We want to leave the choice to the 3 crore people of Punjab. The people can give us their choice by 5 pm, January 17. This is the first time such a methodology is being used to identify a CM candidate by popular vote,” he said.
The revelation may not bode well for AAP’s biggest face in Punjab, as the party’s leadership is hesitant to name Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate. The people will now elect the CM, despite the fact that the party’s leader has ruled himself out.
“Bhagwant Mann is most dear to me. He is the biggest face. I told Mann to let us declare him as the CM face. But it was his idea to go to the people for CM face. Bhagwant Mann, too, said don’t decide CM face behind closed doors,” he added.
The move comes at a time when other parties have yet to announce their candidates for governor. AAP’s poll comes after PCC president Navjyot Sidhu stated that “the people, not the party high command, will determine the CM of Punjab.”