Photo : ANIIt is AAP ka Punjab if leads are to go by. The Aam Aadmi Party has crossed the majority mark with an early lead in 88 Assembly constituencies in Punjab. The party’s state co-in charge Raghav Chadha has now said that with the AAP emerging as a major national force, it will be a “natural and national” replacement of Congress. Speaking to ANI on Thursday as the counting of votes was taking place in the five states, Chadha said, “We’re ‘aam aadmi’ but when ‘Aam Aadmi’ rises mightiest of thrones shake. Today’s an important day in India’s history, not only because AAP is winning one more state but because it has become a national force. AAP will become Congress’s replacement.” Speaking of the Punjab polls, Chadha had earlier said that “Punjab polls show that AAP has emerged as a national political force.” Delhi minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai has also now echoed similar optimistic sentiments. “We can witness positive trends in Punjab, and we hope the results will also be positive. I thank the people of Punjab for voting for change,” he has said. Chadha hails Arvind Kejriwal as “the hope of crores of people” and predicts a “bigger role of Prime Minister” for his party leader after the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. “Arvind Kejriwal is the hope of crores of people. If God is willing and people give an opportunity, he will definitely be seen in a bigger role – that of the Prime Minister – soon. AAP will emerge as a major national political force,” Chadha responding to a question on the next Lok Sabha polls. He has said that the party is not even a decade old and already has a government in Delhi and is likely to form one in Punjab. “It took BJP ten years to form its first government in a state. It is not even ten years since AAP’s inception and we are forming government in two states. AAP will be Congress’ national and natural replacement,” he added. With a stable government in Delhi and edging close to one in Punjab, AAP is actively replacing the Congress. The grand old party was reduced to a distant third position in Delhi over the past few Assembly polls in the national capital and seems to be meeting a similar fate in other states as well. And AAP sees this as an opportunity to expand its base in other states including Goa and Uttarakhand. The Exit Polls have predicted that the incumbent Congress will finish a distant second in Punjab, followed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which had allied with Bahujan Samaj Party. And if these results hold water, it will be the first time that AAP will come to power in Punjab or any other full state for that matter. The counting of votes is currently on and the final results are expected soon.