According to top sources close to the senior leadership of the party, the recent announcement made by Kejriwal in Patiala, where he ruled out any possibility of him being the CM candidate of AAP in Punjab, is perhaps a well thought out strategy to keep the opposition at bay from attacking Kejriwal “as a person who keeps running around” during election campaigns.
“If one hears Kejriwal’s speech carefully, one would realise that he has left some room for himself as a probable AAP CM candidate for Punjab, if the party comes to power. He had said that it is the MLAs who will choose their leader, and the truth is that the AAP unit in Punjab is already pushing for Arvind Kejriwal to become the Chief Minister of the state. If the party comes to power, the MLAs would unanimously vote for Kejriwal to become their leader in the state and that is how he would be moved to that state,” a source said.
“The Punjab unit as well as the AAP is keen on pushing Kejriwal to Punjab, because Punjab is a full state where the party would be able to deliver on its promises and core principles without any hindrances and which can only be done with Kejriwal’s presence, as Punjab currently lacks any strong AAP leader in the state who can lead from the front,” the source further added. As if on cue, the opposition Congress and SAD-BJP have started campaigning against Kejriwal, after Manish Sisodia’s hint that the Delhi CM would lead the show in Punjab.
According to AAP sources, the party is unlikely to project any chief ministerial candidate for Punjab and would fight the election under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, leaving room for the party to choose a Chief Minister if the party wins a majority.
However, sources also said that if Kejriwal is moved to Punjab to take up the top job of the state, Manish Sisodia would be given charge of Delhi, as he is the closest and the most trusted aide of Kejriwal. “No person other than Manish Sisodia in the Delhi unit of AAP would be a fit person to take up the job of Chief Minister in Delhi, because he enjoys the best reputation, trust and blessings of Kejriwal,” the source said.