Chandigarh: In his first directions to the newly elected MLA’s in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief minister-elect Bhagwant Mann on Friday asked them to spend maximum time in their constituencies instead of being in the capital Chandigarh and not to hanker for cabinet berths.
“We have to work for all those places where we went to seek votes. All MLAs must work in the areas from where they have been elected, not just stay in Chandigarh,” Mann said after he was elected the leader of the AAP Legislative Party in the state, a formality ahead of his swearing-in scheduled for Wednesday.
Addressing the newly elected MLAs, Mann appealed to all of them not to get arrogant and serve even those who have “not voted for the party”.
“We can have 17 cabinet ministers besides the chief minister. Nobody has to get upset. You are all cabinet ministers,” he told at the meeting.
The Aam Aadmi Party swept Punjab in the assembly elections, winning a spectacular 92 of 117 seats and leaving the Congress with only 18.
Also read: AAP set for landslide win in Punjab, BJP to sweep UP again
In an election which has surely catapulted Kejriwal into national politics, Congress top guns including out-going chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who had contested from two seats, have suffered defeats.
Mann on Thursday announced that he will take the oath of office not at the Raj Bhawan but the ceremony will be held at Khatkarkalan in Nawanshahr district, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
“The oath-taking ceremony will not be held at Raj Bhawan, but at Khatkarkalan. The date will be announced later,” he had said in his victory speech in Dhuri, where he won by over 58,000 votes.
He also said his focus after taking office would be to improve schools, health, industry, making agriculture profitable, the safety of women, and improving sports infrastructure. “You will start seeing the change in Punjab within one month,” he promised.
India Blooms News Service
