Counting of votes began at 8 am today for 117 assembly seats in Punjab, where a sweeping victory is expected for the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), predicted not just by multiple exit polls but also clearly visible in election trends.
The current CM of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing in both Chamakur Sahib and Bhadaur seats as of 10 am.
AAP leader and party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh said that after Delhi, his party is sweeping Punjab.
“The people of the state had faced a lot of problems during previous regimes and had pinned hopes on AAP,” he said, adding that a new beginning for Punjab has started and state will become prosperous now.
Targeting the Congress and the BJP, he said, “These parties never talked of welfare of common people.”
“The trends are showing an overwhelming majority for our party and it shows that the people of Punjab have reposed faith in the Delhi Model of governance, Sukhwinder Singh, an AAP supporter, said in Dhuri.
The early trends show that the AAP in Punjab has crossed the halfway mark in Punjab. It is leading on 79 seats, followed by Congress (14) and SAD (7).
If AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party’s maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress.
(With inputs from agencies)