"Saada CM Bhagwant Maan," says the AAP, referring him to be the contender for CM.

Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, publicly endorsed comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann as the party's chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab elections in 2022 on Thursday, but stopped short of making an official statement. Instead, the AAP national convener declared that, based on Mann's recommendation, he would seek "people's vote" in picking the chief minister candidate.

In Punjab, the Delhi Chief Minister has similarly ruled himself out of contention. "I intended to select Bhagwant Mann as the CM's face, but he said we should have people's feedback first," "At a press conference, Kejriwal stated. 

The AAP leader stated that residents of Punjab can call, text, or send a WhatsApp message to 70748 70748, indicating their preferred AAP candidate for Chief Minister. "We want the people of Punjab to make the decision." By January 17, please let us know which option you prefer. The CM face will be the candidate picked by the public "he stated

“I told Bhagwant (Mann) that I should clear his name, but he gave me this idea that we should not choose the CM face in a closed- door meeting," Kejriwal said. “My personal choice is not important… public choice is supreme. But I will reiterate that I myself will not be the CM face," he added.

The concept of a public vote on the topic may irritate Bhagwant Mann supporters who were hoping for a formal declaration from Kejriwal on the CM selection.

On February 14, the 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls, with the counting of votes taking place on March 10. The state is likely to see a five-cornered contest between the Congress, the AAP, the SAD-BSP alliance, and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt), with a farmers' front in the form of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha likely to enter the fray. 

The Congress won 77 seats in the 2017 Punjab assembly elections, ending the SAD-BJP coalition's 10-year rule. The AAP received 20 seats, the SAD-BJP received 18 seats, and the Lok Insaaf Party received two seats (LIP).