AAP's chief ministerial face for Punjab polls to be announced next week: Arvind Kejriwal

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, January 12

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said his party's chief ministerial face for the Punjab Assembly polls would be announced next week.

Kejriwal said an electoral alliance with the political outfit of farmers - Sanyukt Samaj Morcha - could not be forged because of disagreement on seat-sharing.

Punjab has 117 assembly segments that will go to polls on February 14.

Kejriwal, who was here, said the alliance with the Morcha did not fructify as the farmers unions wanted 60 seats. “We had already announced candidates for 90 seats by then. We told them that they could take 10-15 seats, but they did not agree,” he said.

“That is why the alliance could not take off,” he added, while admitting that it could harm the prospects of AAP in the elections.

He, however, said the aim of AAP and SSM is the same - welfare of Punjab.

The statement is significant considering a lot of speculation about the two sides looking at a post-poll alliance so as to ensure that the farmer votes remain consolidated.

Asked about the charges levelled by Rajewal that tickets in the party were being sold and that he had given an audio clip to Kejriwal regarding this, the Delhi CM accepted this. “Rajewal met me at my residence and gave me a pen drive having a recording. But it was just two vague people talking about sale of tickets and accepting of graft by senior party leaders, including myself. There was no substantial proof. I request Rajewal ji that if he has any solid proof, he should take it to the public. If found true, I will hand over the person who accepted money to the police,” he said.

The party supremo, in response to queries about similarallegations being made by rebels, said that if any person came up with proof of money for tickets, he himself would sack the culprits.

Kejriwal derided the “poor law and order” situation in Punjab and said that the common man does not trust the Congress Government with their security, while referring to Ludhiana bomb blast and the sacrilege incidents.

He said nearly 25 Congress MLAs had approached him, requesting him to induct them in the party. “But I have refused to accept ‘Congress ka kooda’, he reiterated.

Later, Kejriwal, accompanied by Bhagwant Mann and Anmol Rattan Mann, the party candidate from Kharar, launched the door-to-door campaigning for the party in Kharar.

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