Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Punjab): Aam Admi Party (AAP)'s Punjab face Bhagwant Mann is all set to be sworn in state's Chief Minister at 12.30 am at Khatkar Kalan, Bhagat Singh's ancestral village, in the presence of the party convenor Arvind Kejriwal and all its MLAs while the outgoing CM Charanjit Singh Channi hasn't been invited.
The swearing-in ceremony is slated to be an AAP exclusive event. Besides Kejriwal, no other Chief Minister will be present in the oath-taking ceremony, according to AAP sources. Also, no Union Minister or any big leader of the national level has been invited for the oath-taking ceremony, which will be attended only by AAP leaders and party's Punjab leaders, added the AAP sources.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday left for Punjab to attend the swearing-in ceremony of chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann. Elaborate arrangements have been made for Mann's oath-taking ceremony at Khatkar Kalan -- the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.
"It's a big day for Punjab today. In this golden morning of new hope, entire Punjab will today come together and take a pledge to make it a prosperous Punjab. To witness that historic moment, I have also left for Khatkar Kalan, the native village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Over three lakh people are expected to attend Mann's oath-taking ceremony.
The CM-designate 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 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.
Born in Satoj village of Sangrur in 1973, Mann started his career as a comedian. He began his political career in 2011 with the Manpreet Singh Badal led Punjab People's Party. In 2012, he unsuccessfully contested the elections from the Lehragaga constituency. Later, he joined the AAP in 2014 and 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).
Also read: Bhagwant Mann to take oath on March 16, invites Delhi CM
Mann won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat twice. He gained popularity with his comedy stints in the TV show 'Jugnu Mast Mast'. He also featured in several other comedy shows. 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.
