AAP bags three Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, improves on its 2019 poll performance

Chandigarh: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab could manage to victory in just three Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, falling way short of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's stated target of winning all 13 parliamentary constituencies of the state.

On the other hand, the Congress has bagged six seats and is leading on one while the Shiromani Akali Dal won just one seat.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had no truck with its INDIA bloc ally the Congress for the high-stakes poll battle in the state. They fought the electoral battle separately, giving enough fodder to the rival parties to target them for "doing a drama" by contesting on their own.

However, the AAP could manage victory in Sangrur, Anandpur Sahib and Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituencies while in six seats its candidates remained at the second spot. It has, however, improved on its 2019 poll performance in the state when it could manage to bag just one seat.

The AAP's Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer won from Sangrur, Malwinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib and Raj Kumar Chabbewal from Hoshiarpur.

During the campaigning, Mann used to say ''Punjab banega hero, iss vaar 13-0". The AAP had even centred its poll campaign around Mann with the slogan "'Sansad vich ve Bhagwant Mann, Khushaal Punjab te vadhegi shaan' (with Bhagwant Mann in Parliament as well, Punjab will be happy and prosperous)".

When AAP supremo Kejriwal was put behind bars in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, it was Mann who led rallies and roadshows in support of party candidates across the length and breadth of Punjab.

With the parliamentary elections being seen as a barometer to gauge the popularity of Mann, the AAP put its best foot forward by fielding eight sitting Punjab MLAs, including five ministers, for the Lok Sabha polls. It also fielded three candidates who crossed over to the AAP from other parties as well as a Punjabi actor.

During his poll campaigning, Mann relied on the performance of his two-year government as he highlighted free 300 units of electricity, 43,000 government jobs, free medical treatment as well as tests and medicines at the 'Aam Aadmi Clinics' and the opening of 'Schools of Eminence.'

With opposition parties slamming the AAP government for not keeping its poll promise of giving Rs 1,000 per month to women, Mann, at the fag end of the campaign, said that his government would give Rs 1,100 per month.

During the hustings, Mann had told people to ensure the victory of the AAP candidates in all 13 seats so that his hands could be strengthened to strongly fight for the rights of Punjab.

"I am fighting against the Centre and the governor alone. I need 13 hands to fight against the BJP in Delhi," Mann had said.

The chief minister had lashed out at the Centre for withholding Punjab's Rs 8,000 crore of funds, including Rs 5,500 crore of rural development funds. He had said that if the AAP gets all 13 seats, the Centre would not dare to stop Punjab's funds.

In the 2022 Punjab Assembly poll, Mann led the stupendous victory of the party, winning 92 out of the 117 Punjab assembly seats.

As far as AAP's performance in parliamentary elections goes, the Kejriwal-led party won four seats in the 2014 polls with a vote share of 24.40 per cent. However, it could win only one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and only 7.38 per cent vote share.