Bhagwant Mann takes oath as 17th Chief Minister of Punjab

AAP's Bhagwant Mann took oath as the 17th Punjab CM at Khatkar Kalan, Bhagat Singh's ancestral village. AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of the party present.

Khatkar Kalan (Punjab): 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 has been organized in Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Addressing the crowd at the ceremony, the Punjab CM said, "I appeal to you all ( newly-elected MLAs) to not get arrogant. We have to respect even those who didn't vote for us. I thank you all and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal."

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. 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.

It is known that AAP had registered a landslide victory, winning 92 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly. Mann (48), who had contested from Dhuri assembly constituency in Punjab's Sangrur district, won by a margin of 58,206 votes over Congress' Dalvir Singh Goldy.

Meanwhile, a fleet of buses carrying AAP workers arrived at Khatkar Kalan in Barnala district of Punjab for attending Bhagwant Mann's swearing-in ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, some of the AAP workers, said, after a long gap Punjab has seen a revolutionary change. "A ray of hope has rekindled in Punjab under the leadership of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann. After a long gap of 70-75 years, the people of Punjab are jubilant. Now, Punjab will move on the path of progress. The crackdown on Mafias and goondas will commence after the installation of AAP government in Punjab."