AAP wins confidence motion in Punjab assembly after Rajya Sabha defections

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Friday won the confidence motion in the Punjab assembly, with chief minister Bhagwant Mann asserting that the result had put to rest speculation about instability within the party. The motion was moved earlier in the day during a special one-day session, days after a setback in the Rajya Sabha where seven AAP members defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After the motion was passed, Mann hit out at rumours of a split in the party. "All speculations have been put to rest today regarding all those who were saying that 65 or 40 MLAs of AAP are going away," he told news agency ANI. He also dismissed Congress' demand for an alcohol test, taking a swipe at the opposition. "They have no issues to raise," Mann said. Earlier, while moving the motion, the CM had rejected claims of internal cracks. "There are rumours that AAP will be finished and its MLAs will switch sides. Such rumours create an illusion in people's minds," he had said. Reiterating AAP's national footprint, Mann said the party continues to have a presence across multiple states, citing its representation in 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 commanding majority with 94 MLAs. The Congress has 16 members, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) three, the BJP two, the BSP one, and one Independent legislator. The confidence vote comes in the backdrop of a political setback for AAP on April 24, when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha members, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP, alleging that the party had deviated from its core principles and values. Six of the defecting MPs were from Punjab.