'People from all states want Delhi's 'Kejriwal Model''
Lucknow, March 10: Terming it as a great achievement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday said the massive positive trends for his party meant that Punjab has given a huge acceptance to Delhi's 'Kejriwal Model'. This also indicates that the AAP is emerging as a significant alternative at the national level," Singh, who is the Uttar Pradesh AAP in-charge, added.
"Not just in Punjab, there was a positive political wave for the AAP in other states, too. The poll results may or may not come in our favour but it is clear that people from all states want Delhi's Kejriwal Model," he told IANS as counting was underway for the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
"In Punjab, we have the charismatic leadership of AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, who is popular among the masses. The poll results that we see now are a manifestation of that love for him," Singh said. Punjab being a full state unlike Delhi, the AAP Uttar Pradesh in-charge said, the party will have a free hand and will deliver better with the Kejriwal Model in Punjab.
Singh dismissed talks of a super Chief Minister (CM) as he sought to assure that the AAP's CM face Bhagwant Mann will rule for a full term of five years. He said the AAP is only the fourth party post-independence to form a government in two states.
His party learnt from the past mistakes and worked on improving the shortcomings, Singh said even as he agreed that AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal's tours across villages of Punjab promising Rs 1,000 to women, free power etc., too had a favourable contribution.
The AAP leader was also optimistic that his party would get more time in the Rajya Sabha after this poll victory and he as well as other Rajya Sabha members from the party would continue to raise issues of public concern. Asked why the AAP performed abysmally poor in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said, it is a large state with 403 Assembly seats and it was impossible for a party to perform well the very first time but "we have reached across states and villages."
People even promised to vote for AAP the next time in Uttar Pradesh, he added. Acoording to the Election Commission trends at 12:30 p.m., the AAP is leading with a clear majority of 91 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. In Goa, the AAP is leading only at two seats of the total 40-seat Assembly.
However, AAP has not registered any presence as yet in Uttar Pradesh where at 12 noon, the EC data showed that the ruling BJP was leading in 248 seats and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party was ahead in 112 constituencies.