Former comedian to Punjab's next CM, all you need to know about Bhagwant Mann

MP from Sangrur and Aam Aadmi Party's face for the Punjab assembly elections Bhagwant Mann, is all set to be sworn in as the next chief minister with the party confident for a historic verdict in the state.

Mann has won from Sangrur district's Dhuri assembly constituency by a margin of 58,206 votes over Congress' Dalvir Singh Goldy.

Mann was displayed as AAP's chief ministerial face on January 18. The party claimed the decision was taken after it held a telephonic polls to determine the chief ministerial candidate.

Calling Bhagwant Mann his "younger brother", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that of the total responses, 93.3 per cent wanted Mann.

Born in Sangrur’s Satoj village in 1973, Mann started his career as a comedian. He came into politics in 2011 with the Punjab Peoples Party, which is led by Manpreet Singh Badal. In 2012, he contested the polls from the Lehragaga seat but lost.

Later, Maan joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2014 and fought the election from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. His importance in Punjab politics increased when he beat the veteran leader of Punjab Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who was then with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The MP has been elected to the Punjab Lok Sabha seat of Sangrur for two terms back to back since 2014.

He gained popularity from his satires in TV show 'Jugnu Mast Mast'. He also featured in several other comedy programmes.

As per the Election Commission of India, AAP has won 20 seats and is leading on 71 others at 2:40 PM in the 117 seat Punjab assembly.

As AAP claims victory in Punjab, it will be the party's first win in the state and a huge improvement from its performance in the 2017 polls when it had finished second behind Congress.

Congress went into the elections, battling factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as the party's new state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions.

Finally, Congress named Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, backing him for the chief ministerial face days before the polling on February 20.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had ended the alliance with the BJP over the farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly polls.

It is the first time that the BJP contested on over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa.

Punjab logged an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on 29th February as contrast to over 77 per cent in 2017.

[With ANI inputs]

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