Ending much-awaited suspense, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday finally named Bhagwant Mann as its CM candidate and announced his candidature from Dhuri constituency. Ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections 2022, the party had launched a number asking voters to choose their CM candidate. AAP's Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann remained the choice of 93.3 per cent population of Punjab.
Let's know more about Bhagwant Mann
Family background
The comedian-turned-politician was born in a Jat Sikh family on October 17, 1973. He took admission in graduation at Shaheed Udham Sigh Government College, Sunam, but had to leave the course after first year. He got married to Inderpreet Kaur and has two children from her. However, the couple announced divorce in 2015. Also Read | People should learn to live with Covid-19: Top infectious disease expert
Comedy career
Mann participated in youth comedy festivals and inter-college competitions. He won two gold medals at a competition at Punjabi University, Patiala, for Shaheed Udham Singh Government College, Sunam. Mann developed comedy routines about typical Indian issues such as politics, business and sport. His first comedy album was with Jagtar Jaggi. Together, they made a television programme called 'Jugnu Kehnda Hai' for Alpha ETC Punjabi. 10 years later, they parted ways. Mann then formed a comedy partnership with Rana Ranbir. Together, they made the television programme 'Jugnu Mast Mast' for Alpha ETC Punjabi. In 2008, Mann competed in the 'Great Indian Laughter Challenge' on Star Plus. Bhagwant Mann also acted in National Award-winning Film “Main Maa Punjab Dee" directed by Balwant Dullat Mann alo acted in 'Jugnu Hazir Hai' on MH One.
Political journey
In early 2011, Bhagwant Mann joined the People's Party of Punjab. In 2012, he contested the elections from the Lehra constituency, but the attempt was unsuccessfully. In March 2014, Mann joined the Aam Aadmi Party to contest the elections in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency and won by 2,11,721 votes. He was also the convener of AAP Punjab, but resigned after Arvind Kejriwal tendered an unconditional apology to Bikram Singh Majithia over drug mafia case. In 2017, he contested the elections from Jalalabad against Sukhbir Singh Badal and Ravneet Singh Bittu. He lost the elections to Sukbir Singh Badal by 18,500 votes.
His alleged problems with alcohol became a huge controversy ahead of the 2017 Punjab elections. The party held a rally at Barnala in 2019 to handle this controversy, where he swore not to touch alcohol again.
In 2019, he won again Lok Sabha seat from Sangrur in General elections of India by 111,111 votes. He is only Member of Parliament from Aam Aadmi Party in the lower house (Lok Sabha) of the parliament.
He is Aam Aadmi Party's CM nominee for the Punjab Assembly Elections for year 2022 and will be contesting from Dhuri constituency.
Mann began a non-government organisation, the "Lok Lehar Foundation" to aid children with physical deformities as a result of pollution of groundwater in the border areas of Punjab.
Also Read | Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: AAP named Bhagwant Mann as Punjab CM face 'based on fake response calls'
-PTC News