The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing a conflict of interest with Bhagwant Mann flexing his political muscles with supporters calling for the party's Sangrur MP to be projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate in 2022 assembly polls.
"The disappointment among party workers is increasing day by day. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal should announce Mann ji as the chief ministerial candidate in Punjab," said Jaskaran Singh, AAP worker.
For the past several days, some AAP workers have been visiting Mann's residence in Punjab lending their support to the leader.
Mann, who is also the MP from Sangrur, has immense support in Punjab, said the party workers.
In various blocks of Punjab, AAP workers held several meetings demanding the high command to declare Mann as the chief ministerial candidate in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Balwant Singh, another party worker said, "The party workers will happily work if Bhagwant Mann is declared as the chief ministerial candidate of the party in Punjab. Other parties will seize the opportunity of this prolonged disappointment within workers. We do not feel like working until he is declared as the chief minister's face in the state."
He further empathized that Mann has worked hard for the welfare of the people.
"We will not support the party if he will not be the face of the party here in upcoming polls," he added.
People outside the Sangrur MP's resident toldthat they have come to support the leader.
Another supporter Radhe Shyam, said, "At least 30 of us have come here. If anyone else is announced as the chief minister face, we will not support."
Youngsters in Punjab have also expressed their confidence in Mann.
Kulwinder Singh, a youth supporter of AAP in the state said, "We will follow what Mann ji says."
"We urge the high command to declare him as the face of Punjab," said Gurpriyar Singh.
During Kejriwal's Punjab visit in June, he had announced that the AAP's chief ministerial candidate for the state will be from the Sikh community.
In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.
( With inputs from ANI )
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