Is 'turban-wearing' Bhagwant Mann AAP's top choice for chief minister's post in Punjab?

New Delhi: Having earlier said that the next Chief Minister of Punjab will be a 'turban-wearing-Sikh' if the party wins the crucial electoral battle in the SAD-BJP ruled state, speculations are rife that Arvind Kejriwal's AAP may have found its face for the top job in Bhagwant Mann.

What lends credence to the report is the fact that the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Mann – its Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur - against SAD heavyweight and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal. 

Bhagwant Mann will contest against Sukhbir Badal from the Jalalabad assembly segment in the upcoming state polls. 

If Sukhbir Badal shifts to another constituency, Bhagwant Mann will contest from that very assembly segment, AAP had announced earlier.

For the faith the party has show in him, Mann – the former comedian who is hugely popular in Punjab - fits the criterion set by AAP for its chief ministerial candidate. 

The 44-year-old Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker, who made headlines and earned the wrath of his colleagues last year by live-streaming his arrival at Parliament, is drawing massive crowds while campaigning across the state and this has led to the AAP apex leadership mulling the propects of declaring him as its choice for the top job.

AAP's Manish Sisodia recently said only someone from Punjab will be Chief Minister if the party wins the assembly elections, a disclaimer prompted by speculation that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could shift to that state. 

Delhi lawmaker and Lambi candidate Jarnail Singh had then said that AAP's Chief Minister will be a "turban-wearing Sikh."

On the campaign trail, Mann is now definitely keen to project that he is ready for a larger role. 

When asked if he could be projected by the party as presumptive Chief Minister, Mann just said, "I never said I will be Chief Minister but the public is there. They are saying..what they want. Our leadership has said they will decide later. Let us wait."

However, what has stopped AAP from declaring Bhagwant Mann as its Chief Ministerial candidate is the negative impact of his Parliament live stream. He was suspended for a day and faced ferocious attacks from rival parties like the Akali Dal and Congress for exposing Parliament to a security threat.