Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Mann was administered the oath by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit. A grand ceremony of the swearing-in was organized in Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
Mann in a video message released earlier invited the people of the state for his oath-taking ceremony, urging men to wear “basanti (yellow)” turbans and women yellow “dupatta (stole)” for the ceremony. Notably, Mann has been wearing yellow turbans, which is identified with Bhagat Singh.
The AAP registered a landslide victory in the recently concluded Punjab Assembly polls, winning 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. Mann, who was contesting from Dhuri Assembly constituency in Sangrur district, won by a margin of 58,206 votes over Congress’ Dalvir Singh Goldy. As AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party’s maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when the party had finished behind Congress.
“We all have become CM today, so, do not mess up with people who did not vote for us, we are equally theirs as well. It is not good to threaten someone on social media or publicly just because we are in power. I don’t want people to say that we have attitude and pride in us after this win. Be humble to all,” said CM Bhagwant Mann after being sworn in as the 28th Chief Minister of Punjab in the presence of a basanti-turbaned gathering, led by AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Mann was administered the oath of secrecy and allegiance by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh amid lakhs of people from different walks of life. Meanwhile, the state chief secretary Anirudh Tewari conducted the proceedings of the oath-taking ceremony, which was attended by the Cabinet Ministers of Delhi government besides other dignitaries.
The swearing-in ceremony was graced, besides senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, MLA and Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh, MLA and Punjab affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha, several newly elected AAP MLAs, senior leaders, party workers and volunteers from Punjab were present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended greetings to Mann for taking oath as Punjab Chief Minister. “Congratulations to Bhagwant Mann on taking oath as Punjab CM. Will work together for the growth of Punjab and welfare of the state’s people,” tweeted PM Modi.
Mann, the comedian-turned politician and the newly sworn-in Chief Minister of Punjab, has seen a meteoric rise in his career, making the debut in state politics to win the Lok Sabha elections to take the top post in a span of just eight years. Born in Satoj village of Sangrur in 1973, Mann has had an eventful journey from starting his career as a comedian to becoming the Punjab Chief Minister. Mann graduated in 1992 from Shaheed Udham Singh Government College. His stint as a stand-up comic in the popular show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ in 2006, when Congress leader and his now political rival Navjot Singh Sidhu was a judge of the reality show, garnered him popularity.
He entered mainstream politics in 2011 by joining Manpreet Singh Badal-led Punjab People’s Party. In 2012, he unsuccessfully contested the elections from the Lehragaga constituency.
Mann later left Punjab People’s Party and joined Aam Aadmi Party in 2014. For the first time in his political career then, he successfully contested the election from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. His importance in Punjab politics grew when he defeated the veteran leader of Punjab Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who was then with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
After the 2017 Assembly elections, Mann was made the party’s state unit chief. In 2019, he again won from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. Mann gained popularity with his comedy stints in the TV show “Jugnu Mast Mast”. He also featured in several other comedy shows.