Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday declared Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, which he claimed could be held in November.AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader Manish Sisodia, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP Punjab president Aman Arora and newly elected city mayor Padamjit Singh Mehta participating in a roadshow in Bathinda on Friday. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT)Addressing a roadshow, alongside Mann and senior party leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora, to celebrate the party’s electoral performance in the recently held Bathinda municipal corporation elections, the former Delhi chief minister called on party workers and supporters to work together to ensure Mann returns as the chief minister for the second consecutive term after the next election.“I have learnt that the election in Punjab would not be held in February 2027 but in November this year. So, now we should work together to elect Mann as the CM again,” said Kejriwal, who did not specify from where he had received the information.The AAP had formed the government during polling held on February 20, 2022, in which the party registered a landslide victory by winning 92 seats in the 117-member House. Mann took the oath on March 17 and the next elections are scheduled to be held by March 16, 2027, when the present government’s five-year term ends.Praising Mann’s performance, Kejriwal described him as one of the most honest leaders Punjab has witnessed in recent decades. He said no allegations of corruption had been made against Mann, his family or his ministers. “Had Mann faced even a single false case of corruption, the Narender Modi government could have run after to arrest him. None of Mann’s ministers is facing any corruption case, and the AAP government has emerged as a popular regime,” claimed Kejriwal.The AAP convener also thanked people for AAP’s impressive performance in the civic polls held last month. On Thursday, four AAP councillors were elected mayors of the municipal corporations of Barnala, Moga, Batala and Bathinda.Kejriwal said that during electioneering in 2022, he had talked about a rampant political corruption racket run by an individual in Bathinda. “Have you heard of such a racket in Bathinda during the AAP regime?” he asked.Addressing the gathering, the CM said the three opposition parties have entered into an unofficial alliance to oppose the AAP, but they have tasted defeat.“Our government is catering to the welfare of the public by introducing pro-people initiatives. Free power, health insurance, strengthened education and healthcare infrastructure are among several steps taken by the AAP government,” Mann said. The results of the recently held civic body elections are indicators of acceptance of AAP’s governance model, he added.During the event, newly elected Bathinda mayor Padamjeet Singh Mehta was also acknowledged by senior party leaders, with his presence alongside the top leadership drawing attention.