Indian state elections 2022: Bhagwant Mann is AAP’s CM candidate for Punjab

After much internal wrangling, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal finally named Bhagwant Mann, a two-time MP from Sangrur and the party's Punjab unit president, as the party's chief ministerial candidate for the February 20 assembly election.

After failing to find a Sikh face from outside who could be the "pride of Punjab," and with Mann persistently selling himself for the top job, the party's central leadership bit the bullet and chose to move forward with the Lok Sabha MP.

The clincher for the talented comedian-turned-politician, though, was the outpouring of support on Kejriwal's phone line, which he launched on January 13 and was open until 5 p.m. on January 17. 

Kejriwal issued an open invitation to Punjab voters to choose their chief ministerial candidate, regardless of age, sex, religion, or occupation.

With less than 24 hours to the deadline, Mann had established an unassailable lead over the competition. 

AAP president Arvind Kejriwal told reporters that Bhagwant Mann, a two-time AAP MP from Sangrur, received more than 93 percent of the votes cast by phone and WhatsApp.

According to the AAP, more than 21 lakh people voted.

Kejriwal revealed that Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu received around 3% of the vote.

Some even voted for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but those votes were ruled invalid.

(With inputs from agencies)