Mohali: Ahead of the 20 February Punjab Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has formally announced Bhagwant Mann as the chief minsiter (CM) candidate in Punjab on Tuesday. The decision came after the party had sought public opinion by issuing a mobile number to select the CM candidate. As many as 21.59 lakh people reportedly registered their opinion over three days, out of which 15 lakh people had nominated Bhagwant Mann.
After being declared as the CM candidate on Tuesday, Bhagwant Mann got emotional and said that it's the people of Punjab who can save their own state and that he will only be a medium for it. "Millions of people have shown trust in me and bestowed me with a huge responsibility. I will make sure I meet their expectations and act with double responsibility in the matter," he promised. He also said that he will prioritise solving the drugs issue in the state and put tiffin boxes in the hands of the children instead of drug syringes.
Mann further said that he would bring prosperity to Punjab. "We have to work very hard to win the war and then we will have Giddha and Bhangra on our soil. The youth who are going abroad after doing IELTS will be given jobs here. They won't have to leave the country for better opportunities," he reassured.
-
Sir, I shall do my best to justify the trust & belief that you & the people of Punjab have bestowed upon me.
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) January 18, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Each and every step that I take forward, will make you & 3 crore Punjabis immensely proud. https://t.co/YFH2OA9djf
">Sir, I shall do my best to justify the trust & belief that you & the people of Punjab have bestowed upon me.
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) January 18, 2022
Each and every step that I take forward, will make you & 3 crore Punjabis immensely proud. https://t.co/YFH2OA9djfSir, I shall do my best to justify the trust & belief that you & the people of Punjab have bestowed upon me.
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) January 18, 2022
Each and every step that I take forward, will make you & 3 crore Punjabis immensely proud. https://t.co/YFH2OA9djf
Interestingly, Kejriwal, while making the announcement, also revealed that about 3.6% of callers wanted to see Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu as their Chief Minister.
The AAP national president had already said that he will not be stepping in for the CM race in Punjab while clarifying that the nominated member would essentially be from the Sikh community. In 2017, AAP had suffered a major setback for not having the CM candidate from the Sikh community, which is also probably why Kejriwal took such a call.
Sidhu comes second in 'AAP' survey; may create tensions in Congress
While Mann was selected as the most desired CM candidate from the AAP with 93.3% votes in the 'AAP survey', the second in line was Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was also mentioned by Kejriwal in his speech. He could secure 3.6% of the votes in the survey, as told by Kejriwal. This survey can therefore potentially create a stir in Congress while the party is seemingly planning to push forward CM Channi's name for the Chief Minister's race in the upcoming elections, as implied in a video posted recently on Congress' Twitter handle. Although nothing has been said officially while sharing the video, it clearly implies benefit on Channi's part.
Bhagwant Mann's journey as a politician and artist
Bhagwant Mann started his political journey when he was first elected to the 16th Lok Sabha in May 2014. Gurpreet Ghuggi, re-elected to the 17th Lok Sabha in May 2019 (second term) was removed from the post of President, after which the Aam Aadmi Party appointed Mann President of Punjab. Mann further served as the Member of the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice from September 1, 2014, to May 25, 2019.
From December 11, 2014, to May 25, 2019, he was a member of the Joint member of the Advisory Committee, Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and the Office of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Later he was elected as the Member of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution in the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of External Affairs on September 13, 2019.
Apart from his political career, Mann also has significant literary, artistic and scientific achievements. He has been featured as the main protagonist of many comedy serials that gained popularity and even gave highly acclaimed live performances in various countries. Besides this, he has worked for the upliftment of the downtrodden by performing plays and musical programs for procuring funds for their welfare.
Bhagwant Mann has also been embroiled in a controversy that largely surrounds his alcoholism, which also reportedly led to his divorce in 2015. He has been accused of drinking alcohol and going public, while also being banned from entering the stage of the Bargadi Morcha because of the stench of alcohol a few years back.
