New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP, Sandeep Pathak credited the party’s victory in three out of four Punjab Assembly bypolls to the leadership of National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The ruling AAP in Punjab secured a resounding win in three of the four Assembly constituencies where elections were held on November 20, boosting Chief Minister Mann’s political standing. The main Opposition Congress managed to win just one seat, which was previously considered a stronghold of the ruling party.
With this triumph, the AAP’s tally in the 117-member Punjab Assembly has risen to 95. The party won the Chabbewal, Dera Baba Nanak, and Gidderbaha Assembly seats, while the Congress claimed victory in Barnala.
The four seats had fallen vacant after their respective MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. Of these, three were held by the Congress and one by the AAP.
Speaking to IANS, Pathak expressed gratitude to the people of Punjab for their support.
“The public has blessed us with three seats out of four, and we express our heartfelt gratitude to them. I also thank our volunteers and workers who worked tirelessly day and night,” he said.
Pathak attributed the win to Kejriwal and Mann’s governance model. “The blessing we have received is a stamp of approval for Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann’s politics of work,” he remarked.
Taking a dig at the BJP’s ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ slogan, Pathak emphasised that politics should revolve around public service.
“Arvind Kejriwal also does politics, but he does so with a focus on work. He asks for votes based on tangible results. If politics remains work-focussed, this country can truly become a ‘Vishwa Guru’ (World Leader),” he said.
He slammed the practice of winning elections through false promises, saying, “Winning elections by making fake claims is one thing; taking the country forward is another. Arvind Kejriwal’s politics of work is the only way to make India a Vishwa Guru.”
Reacting to the BJP’s announcement of a Parivartan Yatra following similar initiatives by the AAP and Congress, Pathak accused the BJP of aiming to undo public benefits.
“The BJP wants to change the free electricity and other facilities being provided to the public. Let the public decide if they want such a change,” he said.
“Kejriwal has worked, and the public has witnessed it. Now, it’s for the people to decide,” Pathak concluded.
–IANS