Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, May 1: The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Friday won a confidence motion in the state Assembly, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserting that the outcome has ended speculation about instability within the party.

The motion was moved during a special one-day session of the Punjab Assembly, coming days after a setback in the Rajya Sabha where several AAP members defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Following the victory, Mann dismissed rumours of a split within the party. “All speculations have been put to rest today regarding those who were claiming that 65 or 40 AAP MLAs would leave,” he said .

He also took a swipe at the opposition, rejecting the Congress party’s demand for an alcohol test. “They have no issues to raise,” Mann remarked.

Earlier, while presenting the motion, Mann had rejected claims of internal divisions, stating that such rumours were creating confusion among the public. He maintained that the party remains united and strong.

Highlighting AAP’s national presence, Mann said the party continues to have representation in several states, including Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The ruling party had issued a whip to all its legislators to ensure full attendance during the session.

In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, AAP holds a dominant majority with 94 MLAs. The Congress has 16 members, while the Shiromani Akali Dal has three, the BJP two, the Bahujan Samaj Party one, and there is one Independent MLA.

The confidence vote comes in the backdrop of political developments on April 24, when seven of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP, alleging that the party had strayed from its core principles. Six of the defecting MPs were from Punjab.