AAP's Bhagwant Mann to take oath as Punjab CM in Bhagat Singh's village

Hyderabad: Aam Aadmi Party's Chief Ministerial candidate, Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday, appeared before voters after securing his victory from Punjab's Dhuri constituency, by a significant margin of nearly 60,000 votes over Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy. Immediately after his victory, Mann appeared in front of voters in Dhuri.

Mann's victory adds to the brightness of AAP's victory in Punjab, with the party already leading in 92 seats.

"I will take oath as the CM in Bhagat Singh's village Khatkarkalan, not at the Raj Bhawan," Mann said in Sangrur, adding that in his term, no government offices will have Chief Minister's photos. "There will be pictures of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Ambedkar," he said. Mann has won from Sangrur district's Dhuri assembly constituency by a margin of 58,206 votes over Congress' Dalvir Singh Goldy.

"Bade Badal (Parkash Singh Badal) has lost, Sukhbir Singh Badal has lost from Jalalabad, Captain Amarinder Singh has lost from Patiala, Navjot Sidhu and Majithia are also losing. Channi Saab has lost on both seats", Mann said, appearing before the audience in Dhuri on Thursday.

"It is my promise to run Punjab honestly to both those who voted for AAP, as well as to those who did not. This is a democracy, and everyone has their own opinion. I will not be biased. On my very first day, I will use my 'green pen' to reduce unemployment," he also stated.

At a press conference in Chandigarh, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, meanwhile, noted that the party was well on its way to becoming BJP's natural challenger in national politics.

"People of Punjab have put a great responsibility on Aam Aadmi Party. We asked Punjabis to sweep the broom, they instead turned on the vacuum cleaner," Chadha said, playing upon AAP's electoral symbol.

"Today, Punjab has proved that it prefers the combination of Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. The true architects of this win are people of Punjab: people who have left the traditional parties and sided with a transparent, honest party like Aam Aadmi Party," Chadha further said.