Ishq karna sabka paidaishi haq hai kyun na is baar watan ki sarzamin ko mehboob bana liya jaye.” That’s a Bhagat Singh quote which Bhagwant Mann used after his oath-taking ceremony. It means, “everyone has the right to love, so why not this time make your nation your lover.”The small village of Khatkar Kalan in Punjab is known as the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. That is, till now. From now on, it will also have the distinction of being the place where the AAP’s era in Punjab began.
The village and its history is in line with AAP’s call for ‘Inquilab’ in Punjab. After the results were clear on March 10, Bhagwant Mann started his speech with chants of ‘Inquilab Zindabad.’
Bhagwant Mann, the new Chief Minister of Punjab broke tradition and took oath as the CM of Punjab from the village of the legendary Bhagat Singh.
The ‘Aam Admi’ wave that swept through Punjab in the 2022 polls was something that left political pundits stumped. The rise of the comedian-turned-politician has been nothing short of meteoric.Son to a school Principal, Bhagwant Mann dropped out of college in the first year after he realised he had a talent for comedy. He got his big break in showbiz in 1992, when he was just 19. By 1994, Mann’s stand-up comedy had made its mark not just in India but abroad as well.
Mann made his political debut, unsuccessfully, in 2012 Punjab Assembly elections for the People’s Party of Punjab. After that, he switched to the Aam Admi Party. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bhagwant Mann decisively crushed Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by a margin of over 2 lakh votes and became a Member of Parliament.
It hasn’t all been an easy ride for him since though. In 2017, Mann lost to Akali Dal supremo Sukhbir Singh Badal from the Jalalabad seat. His personal life has been equally turbulent as his political life. He has fought allegations of alcoholism and divorce. Multiple incidents led to Mann getting the nickname of “Pegwant.”
Mann, however, retained his Sangrur seat in the 2019 General Elections. As an MP, he has served in the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs, and Public Distribution. He was also on the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The AAP scripted history in Punjab, winning a massive mandate of 92 seats, the highest won by any party since the reorganisation of the state in 1966. Bhagwant Mann has been serving as the President of AAP’s Punjab unit as well since May 2017. Under him, the party went from 20 seats in 2017 to getting over 42% of the vote share.
It’s fairly clear from the massive win in Punjab that the AAP has entered the national stage. It remains to be seen whether the party’s broom will sweep the 2024 General Elections, too.
