The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) achieved a landslide victory in Punjab and promised to improve educational infrastructure, health infrastructure, and industry infrastructure within a month following the Delhi model. As per the Election Commission of India, AAP bagged a historic three-fourth majority with 92 seats out of 117 constituencies. The ruling Congress managed to secure 18 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won two seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) bagged three seats and the Bahujan Samaj Party won only one.
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal also congratulated the party’s chief ministerial face, Bhagwant Mann on his victory from Dhuri. Mann announced that his oath-taking ceremony would be conducted at the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh, Khatkarkalan in the Nawanshahr district. In the victory speech at Dhuri, where Mann won by over 58,000 votes, he said that the government offices would rather put a picture of Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar instead of the Chief Minister. The date of the oath-taking ceremony will be announced later. Mann also stated that the security of women and agriculture would be strengthened and prioritised. Speaking about drug problems in Punjab, he also promised to generate employment in the state to tackle the drug issue amongst the Punjab youth. Mann defeated Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy by 58,206 votes.
The Independent candidates from Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, an MLA, and his son, Rana Inder Pratap Singh, won their respective seats. MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh defeated Manju Rana by a margin of 7304 votes, while Rana Inder Pratap defeated Sajjan Singh Cheema by 11434 votes in Sultanpur Lodhi. In the Amritsar East Assembly, AAP candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur defeated Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majhithia by 39679 votes. Sidhu got 32929 votes, while Majithia got 25188. In Bhatinda (urban), AAP candidate Jagroop Singh Gill defeated Finance Minister Manpreet Badal. Captain Amarinder Singh was defeated by AAP candidate Ajit Pal Kohli in Patiala (urban) by 19873 votes. For the first time, AAP led in all the three major regions of Punjab—Malwa, Doaba and Majha.
The Malwa region, which accounts for 69 seats out of 117, had AAP leading on 64 seats. Other stalwarts such as Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal lost to AAP candidate Jagdeep Kamboj by 23310 votes in the Jalalabad constituency and SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal lost to AAP candidate Gurmeet Singh Khudian by 11357 votes in the Lambi constituency. Similarly in Majha (25 seats) and Doaba (23 seats) regions, AAP was leading against Congress. In Majha, AAP secured 17 out of 25 seats, while in Doaba, AAP secured nine seats.
After losing both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi tweeted, “I humbly accept the verdict of the people of Punjab and Congratulate @AamAadmiParty and their elected CM @BhagwantMann Ji for the victory. I hope they will deliver on the expectations of people.” In Bhadaur, Channi was defeated by AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke by 36,964 votes, and in Chamkaur Sahib, he lost to Dr Charanjit Singh by 7942 votes. In the 2017 elections, Congress had won 77 seats, the AAP got 20 seats, the SAD got 15 seats, and the BJP got three.
Earlier, Kejriwal had said Channi would lose from both of the seats. Not only did Channi lose from both of the seats, Sukhbir Badal, Parkash Singh Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder Singh, Malvika Sood, and all such big names lost to AAP.
In his first statement after winning the election, Bhagwant Mann said: “My picture will not be displayed in any government office. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s picture will be installed in my place. You saw how much mud was thrown at us. Bad words were used. Today, I want to say from this platform that we forgive them, but from now on, three and a half crore Punjabis will have to be respected.”