Sidhu congratulates AAP, says 'voice of people is voice of God'

The exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party's victory varying across various surveys. Surveys had already predicted the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which is in power in Delhi, getting a landslide victory.

Chandigarh:With the early trends hinting at a win for AAP in the state, Navjyot Singh Sidhu took to Twitter to congratulate his rival party for crossing the halfway mark in Punjab as the vote count continues. Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party is leading in 80 seats, easily past the majority mark of 59, followed by Congress leading with 14 and SAD with seven seats according to the latest updates.

Acknowledging AAP's highly speculated win, Sidhu posted from his official Twitter account: "The voice of the people is the voice of God …. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab …. Congratulations to Aap!!!"

The exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party's victory varying across various surveys. Surveys had already predicted the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which is in power in Delhi, getting a landslide victory.

If AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress. Congress went into the polls having battled factionalism and anti-incumbency.

The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as new Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own Chief Ministerial ambitions. The Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, as its Chief Ministerial candidate days before the polling on February 20. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off its alliance with BJP over three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly elections.

It is the first time that BJP fought over 65 seats in Punjab and tied up with former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. BJP leaders exuded confidence in putting up a strong performance in the polls, but in vain. Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017.