AAP's Bhagwant Mann sworn-in as 18th Punjab CM at mega event in Khatkar Kalan

On the back of a sweep by the Aam Aadmi Party in the Punjab Assembly election, Bhagwant Mann, former comic and two-time Lok Sabha MP was sworn in as the Punjab Chief Minister on Wednesday. He took oaths of office and secrecy, in the presence of Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, to become Punjab’s 18th Chief Minister.

His oath-taking ceremony was not held at Raj Bhawan, as is the custom, but in Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr district, the  ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

Bhagwant Mann sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Punjab, in Khatkar Kalan. pic.twitter.com/mrRVRNX9ab

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2022

Addressing the crowd after taking the chief ministerial oath, the leader said he was “thankful to all those who have gathered here.““You have supported me. I thank each and every one of you. I am the chief minister of all, even of those who have not voted for me. This is a democracy.”

The AAP-exclusive event was attended by the party’s national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, along with all its Punjab MLAs. Among other leaders present at the ceremony are Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia and Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai.

The outgoing chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has not been invited to the oath-taking ceremony.  A child, who dressed up as AAP leader Bhagwant Mann on the day when Assembly election results were announced, also attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Mann in a video message released earlier invited the people of the state for his oath-taking ceremony, urging men to wear ‘basanti (yellow)’ turbans and women yellow ‘dupatta (stole)’ for the ceremony.

After the oath-taking, Mann will address the people of the state. Mann has said that along with him, all the residents of the state will also take oath as chief ministers. “You all will be the Chief Ministers,” he said in a video message.

Mann will assume office in the evening and will be given a guard of honour. The MLAs will be administered oath during the Vidhan Sabha session on Thursday, while Mann’s cabinet will take oath Saturday at the Punjab Raj Bhawan.

As per The Indian Express, the government spent more than Rs 2 crore for the function. As many as 2,000 government-run buses have also been pressed into service to ferry participants. A public holiday has been declared in Punjab.

Officials told PTI that foolproof security arrangements had been made for the ceremony and several senior officials, including Inspector General and Senior Superintendent Police rank officers, have been deputed for the event. Around 8,000 to 10,000 security personnel have been deployed for the event, said the officials. Civil Surgeon Davinder Dhanda said services of health staff of adjoining 10 districts and nearly 30 ambulances would be deployed to meet any health emergencies. Twelve first-aid teams would also be present, he said.

Congress leader Manish Tewari posting a picture of the invite sent to him for Mann’s oath-taking ceremony on Twitter hit out at the Congress for not inviting him to outgoing chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s swearing-in ceremony, a comment that comes at a time when the party is witnessing trouble within its leadership.

I congratulate @BhagwantMann on being sworn in as Chief Minister
I thank him for inviting me to his swearing in .
Due to Parliament being in session I will not be able to make it .
It is ironic I was not invited to @CHARANJITCHANNI ‘s swearing in though he was one of my MLA’s pic.twitter.com/AyW91uNyYE

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) March 16, 2022

With inputs from agencies

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