Kejriwal promises Rs 1000 per month to every 18+ woman in Punjab if AAP comes to power

In a big announcement ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal declared that every adult woman of the state will receive Rs.1000 per month if AAP comes to power. While addressing an event in Moga on Monday, the AAP supremo dubbed it as the "biggest women empowerment" programme. According to him, this will help women attend college and not make them dependent on their father or husband for their expenses. Downplaying the financial implications of the move, Kejriwal appealed to women to give a chance to AAP this time. 

During his earlier visit to the state, Arvind Kejriwal promised 300 units of free electricity, waiver of outstanding electricity bills and uninterrupted round-the-clock electricity in the scenario that the Aam Aadmi Party wins the 2022 Punjab election. AAP's other poll sops include free and quality healthcare for all, free medicines, tests and operations, free health cards for all 16,000 Pind clinics, construction of new world-class hospitals and free treatment of all road accident victims. While the Kejriwal-led party is yet to announce its CM candidate, many AAP workers are backing the candidature of the party's Punjab president Bhagwant Mann for the top post.

Political scenario in Punjab

In the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, Congress won a whopping 77 seats in the 117-member House, whereas Shiromani Akali Dal could win only 18 seats. On the other hand, AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats and failed to bear fruit as it could win in only 54 constituencies. Despite winning a huge mandate, infighting erupted in the Congress camp leading to Amritsar East MLA and former swashbuckling batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation from the Cabinet in July 2019. 

Amid the infighting between the Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu camps, the situation escalated after Congress summoned a Legislative Party meeting at 5 pm on September 18 without keeping the Punjab CM in the loop. Announcing the decision on Twitter, Rawat asserted that the party had received a representation from a large number of MLAs demanding a meeting. Amid growing speculation that Singh will be ousted, the latter tendered his resignation to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit at about 4.30 pm on the same day owing to "humiliation". 

Thereafter, Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as the new Chief Minister along with two deputies Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni. However, the rift in the Congress camp is anything but under control as the former Punjab CM has vowed to pit a strong candidate against Sidhu in the 2022 Assembly election to ensure his defeat. It is perceived that the formation of a new party by Singh and Sidhu's disgruntlement might have an adverse impact on Congress' poll prospects giving hope to AAP.