‘All speculations settled’: Bhagwant Mann as AAP govt wins confidence vote in Punjab Assembly

New Delhi: am admi party (AAP) The government on Friday won a confidence motion in the Punjab Assembly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Claims of the result put to rest speculation about instability within the party.The motion was moved during a one-day special session held earlier in the day, days after seven AAP members defected to the Rajya Sabha in a setback. bjp (BJP).After the motion passed, Mann slammed rumors of a split within the party. “All those speculations that 65 or 40 MLAs of AAP were going to disappear have been put to rest today,” he told news agency ANI.He also dismissed a congressional demand for breathalyzer testing, lashing out at the opposition. “They didn’t have any questions to ask,” Mann said.Earlier, while moving the motion, the chief minister dismissed claims of internal cracks. “There are rumors that AAP will be terminated and its MLAs will defect. Such rumors create illusions in people’s minds,” he had said.Mann reiterated AAP’s national footprint and said the party continues to operate in multiple states and has representation in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir.The ruling party has issued a whip to all legislators to ensure full attendance during the session.In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the AAP has an overwhelming majority with 94 MLAs. The Congress has 16 members, including 3 from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), 2 from the BJP, 1 from the BSP and one independent.The trust vote comes against the backdrop of a political setback for AAP on April 24 when seven of the 10 Rajya Sabha members, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP, claiming the party had strayed from its core principles and values. Six of the defecting MPs are from Punjab.