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BIG STORY JANUARY 21, 2022 | The Indian Eye 5

AAP chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Singh Mann addressing a gathering Uttarakhand Congress leader Harish Rawat being welcomed by party leaders
after visiting his village in Sangrur (ANI) and supporters, in Dehradun (ANI)

poll says that Aam Aadmi Party and leader and former chief minister Har-
the Congress party are expected to ish Rawat has emerged as the most-fa-
battle neck to neck for the majority voured CM candidate with 43 per cent
of the seats in Punjab. The Shiromani respondents voting in his favour while
Akali Dal (SAD) is also expected to only 31 per cent voting in favour of
give a tough fight to the two parties, current CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
while BJP is also expected to make a BJP’s Anil Baluni remained the third
dent in the vote share. most popular choice with 11 per cent
The Punjab elections 2022 opin- votes.
ion polls are being conducted by di- The BJP is expected to suffer the
viding the state into three major re- brunt of the frequent change of lead-
gions- Majha, Doaab, and Malwa. It is ership in the state. In its tenure of five
expected that AAP will give Congress years, the BJP was forced to change
a tough fight in Majha, while the latter three chief ministers in Uttarakhand.
is expected to gather the majority in While Trivendra Singh Rawat was re-
the other two regions. placed by Tirath Singh Rawat, Dhami
When it comes to the vote share, Utpal Parrikar, son of late Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will be contesting the upcom- replaced Tirath to become the third
it is expected that Congress will dom- ing Goa Assembly election from Panjim constituency as an Independent candidate after the BJP CM within five months in 2021.
inate all the three regions, with AAP In the 2017 assembly elections,
and SAD making a significant dent BJP denied him a ticket (ANI) the BJP had won 57 seats, Congress 11
in the number of seats won in the and others were settled with two seats.
elections. Meanwhile, current CM wal shared. Some even chose Mr Ke- will be my apology. The BJP thought In Goa, which is scheduled to
Charanjit Singh Channi remains the jriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, but of me as a ‘use and throw’; I was very go for Assembly polls for all 40 seats
most popular face in the elections. those votes were considered invalid. upset. I didn’t break my friendship on February 14, an opinion poll has
According to opinion polls, Cha- “It is clear that AAP will win the with home minister Amit Shah till the predicted that the BJP may emerge
ranjit Singh Channi has emerged as Punjab election. In a way, the person last moment, as I had promised,” the victorious by a close margin while the
the most popular CM face in Punjab chosen as the Chief Ministerial candi- Kotdwar MLA said. Congress may end up emerging as the
for the upcoming assembly elections date will be the next Chief Minister of In joining the Congress, Harak main opposition party.
in the state, with AAP’s Bhagwant Punjab,” Kejriwal said at an auditori- Singh Rawat returned to the party, But Goa appears set for a
Mann remaining a close second for um in Mohali. The auditorium erupt- which he left to join the BJP in 2017. multi-cornered contest where a frac-
popularity in the state. ed in cheers and slogan shouting as a A sitting minister in the Uttarakhand tured opposition is attempting to
When it comes to the overall montage on Bhagwant Mann played government, the politician was ex- overthrow the BJP, which has been in
vote share in the state, AAP and out on a giant screen. “People laughed pelled by chief minister Pushkar Singh power in the coastal state for the past
Congress both are expected to gath- when they see my face. But now they Dhami, who accused him of trying to 10 years.
er around over 30 percent of the total cry and say, save us,” Mann, a stand- join the Sonia Gandhi-led party. Congress has been insisting that
seats in Punjab, making the upcom- up comic, said. The upcoming Uttarakhand As- it is the key challenger to the BJP and
ing assembly elections in the state a Punjab will vote on February 20. sembly elections are expected to wit- other parties - Trinamool Congress,
very close call. In Uttarakhand, Harak Singh ness a neck-and-neck fight between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), National-
Bhagwant Mann, a two-time AAP Rawat, who was expelled by the the ruling BJP and the opposition ist Congress Party (NCP)-Shiv Sena
MP from Sangrur, received more than Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined Congress, with the latter getting a lit- - contesting after failed talks for an
93 per cent of the votes cast through the Congress on Friday, five days after tle edge over the former, according to alliance could only end up muddying
phone and WhatsApp, AAP chief his expulsion from Uttarakhand’s rul- an opinion poll. If Uttarakhand sees its chances.
Arvind Kejriwal told reporters. More ing party. Rawat joined the Congress a hung House, the independent can- The results for all the five states
than 21 lakh people participated in in Delhi, where he was inducted by didates will play kingmaker and will will be out on March 10. That day may
the vote, AAP said. Around 3 per cent Harish Rawat, a former chief minister decide whether the Congress manages set the tone for the next phase of poli-
votes were in the name of Congress of the hill state. “When Congress wins to turn the tables in the state. tics in India, with all eyes on the gener-
leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, Mr Kejri- with full majority on March 10, that According to the survey, Congress al elections of 2024.

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