Bhagwant Mann’s swearing-in: Channi, CMs of other states not invited

The swearing-in ceremony of Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann as the Punjab chief minister (CM) on March 16 will be a low-profile event with the absence of big political leaders.

Mann, who was the party’s chief ministerial candidate, will take oath at freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s native village, Khatkar Kalan, in SBS Nagar. He has invited Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to the ceremony.

According to AAP sources, apart from Kejriwal, no other CM of any state will be present in the swearing-in of Bhagwant Mann. Similarly, no Union Minister or any big leader of national level has been invited for this oath-taking ceremony. Only AAP leaders and local leaders of Punjab will be present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Sources said current caretaker CM Charanjit Singh Channi has also not been invited to the ceremony. However, all 117 MLAs have been invited besides people close to Bhagwant Mann, who include several artists associated with Punjab.

Mann invites people of Punjab to ceremony

The chief minister-designate also invited the people of the state for his oath-taking ceremony. He urged the men to wear ‘basanti’ (yellow) turbans and women yellow ‘dupatta’ (shawl) on that day, while asking them to build a Punjab that Bhagat Singh had dreamt of.

“Not only me, three crore people of Punjab will also take oath along with me. We together have to fulfil the dreams of Bhagat Singh and we will put his thinking into effect on March 16,” he said in a video uploaded on his Twitter handle. “I have not become the chief minister alone. You all have become the chief minister. It will be your own government,” he said.

The AAP has won 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly. Mann, who on Monday resigned as the Sangrur MP, won from Dhuri assembly seat after defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy by a margin of 58,206 votes.