‘Uthta Punjab’ from now, not ‘Udta Punjab’, says AAP leader as party takes huge lead in state

Punjab election results 2022: Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha praised the party’s workers for working day and night ahead of the poll. (Image credit: Twitter/@ @raghav_chadha)

Punjab will no more be known for its drug menace and will instead be seen as rising state, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha said on March 10 as his party took a huge lead in the state on the counting day for assembly elections.

“Punjab will not be known as 'Udta Punjab' from now onwards, but 'Uthta (rising ) Punjab’,” Raghav Chadha said, referring to the 2016 film on Punjab’s crippling drug problem, according to news agency ANI.

Chadha, AAP's co-incharge for Punjab added: “All the credit goes to AAP workers, they didn't see day or night, summer or winter, and continued working for the party. AAP will work for everybody progressively.”

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Latest trends from the Election Commission show AAP leading on 91 seats in the Punjab assembly elections. The majority mark in the 117-member Punjab assembly is 59.

Celebrations erupted outside the home of Bhagwant Mann, AAP’s chief ministerial candidate, as soon as the party established a lead in Punjab in early trends.

As of 1 pm, Mann was leading in his constituency Dhuri with 72,873 votes, according to the Election Commission. He was up against Congress’ Davinder Singh Goldy and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Prakash Singh Garg.

AAP’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal celebrated the “revolution” in Punjab.

“Is inquilab ke liye Punjab ke logon ko bohat bohat badhai (Many congratulations to the people of Punjab for this revolution)," Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

Meanwhile, incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing in both his constituencies -- Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, another heavyweight Congress candidate, was also trailing in his Amritsar East constituency.