LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Chandigarh, March 7: Popular exit polls on Monday gave a clear majority to the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and predicted that it would form the next government in Punjab, a key border state.
The India Today-Axis My India Exit Poll predicted 76-90 seats for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, a meagre 19-31 for the ruling Congress and another 7-11 for the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The ABP C-Voter, another leading exit poll forecast nearly 51 to 61seats for the AAP, 22-28 for the Congress, 20-26 for the Shiromani Akali Dal and 1-5 for Others.
The Times Now-Veto Exit Poll gave the Aam Aadmi Party a mammoth 70 seats in Punjab, while another 22 for the Congress, 19 for SAD, just 5 sets for the BJP and allies and Others 1.
The AAP, hoping to make a significant mark in the state has projected the party’s Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann as its CM face.
Punjab witnessed a multi-cornered contest in a single phase poll, between the ruling Congress, that has fielded chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, as its nominee for the top post, the Delhi-based Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party tie-up, and the coalition of the BJP-Capt Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress party as the key political parties in the fray.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other hand has fielded 73 candidates and has fought the assembly elections in alliance with Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). Earlier, the BJP used to contest on 23 seats when it had an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. However, the SAD parted ways with the BJP in 2020 over the three controversial farms laws, which have now been repealed by the Centre.
Having quit the Congress last year over differences of opinion with the party’s top leadership, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh floated his own party in the run-up to the polls — the Punjab Lok Congress. For the former Punjab CM it is a crucial assembly election which will decide his political future in the state.
