The joke’s on Bhagwant Mann’s detractors

Bhagwant Mann, a former comedian, is a two-time Lok Sabha member from Sangrur constituency. Pic/ANI

The satirist-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann was declared the chief ministerial candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab on January 18 after ‘phone-in polls'. AAP's National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on January 13 had asked the people of Punjab to suggest names of their preferred chief ministerial candidates and launched a mobile number for the purpose.

Kejriwal also said that though he had wanted party Member of Parliament Mann's name to be declared as the chief ministerial candidate, the latter insisted that the people of Punjab should make this decision. The party reportedly received 22 lakh responses in this campaign. After Kejriwal, the 48-year-old former comedian will be the second chief minister from the party.

Born in the family of a schoolteacher, Mann is not new to Punjab politics. He is a two-time Lok Sabha member from Sangrur constituency. He contested the state assembly polls from Dhuri.

Mann, who always cheers people with ‘inquilab zindabad', studied from Shaheed Udham Singh Government College, Sunam, in Sangrur District, Punjab. He is an ardent follower of Sardar Bhagat Singh. He said the oath-taking ceremony of the new Punjab cabinet will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district.

He was at the height of his career in comedy when he joined politics in 2011. He joined the People's Party of Punjab (PPP), which was founded by Manpreet Singh Badal. But he quit after Badal decided to merge PPP with Congress and accepted Kejriwal's offer to join AAP.

Inputs from agencies