Bhagwant Mann all set to take oath as Punjab CM in Bhagat Singh's village

Bhagwant Mann (left) as CM of Punjab may become a more powerful political figure than Arvind Kejriwal, who is the CM of Delhi. (Image tweeted by @arvindkejriwal)

Punjab Chief Minister-elect Bhagwant Mann will take oath at Khatkar Kalan, the birthplace of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, on March 16.

Born in a humble farming family in Punjab's Malwa region, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader will be the first non-Congress and non-Akali leader to make it to the top post in the border state since 1966, when its map was last redrawn.

Today marks an important day in the history of Punjab as 3 crore Punjabis will together be sworn in as Chief Minister along with @BhagwantMann. Oath to change this corrupt system & to fulfill dreams of Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh & Babasaheb Ambedkar

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Ajj ton har Punjabi CM houga pic.twitter.com/lCPA2gUCJ2

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) March 16, 2022

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other senior party leaders will take part in the swearing-in. No former chief minister will be present at Khatkar Kalan event, reports said.

The party registered a landslide victory, winning 92 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly.

Bhagwant Mann, 48, a comedian-turned-politician contested won by a margin of 58,206 votes from Dhuri assembly constituency in Sangrur district. Mann has already resigned as Lok Sabha member of parliament. He represented Sanrgur seat.

READ | I'm jealous of Bhagwant Mann, for two comedic, non-political reasons

Mann, the 17th CM of Punjab, has invited the people of Punjab to the event saying that it was not just him, but the three crore people of the state that will take the oath with him.

"On March 16, in Bhagat Singh's Khatkar Kalan, not just Bhagwant Mann will take the oath and become CM, but along with me all three crore people of Punjab will also become CM. Together we will make Shaheed Bhagat Singh's Rangla Punjab," Mann said in a video message. He also urged men to wear 'basanti' (yellow) colour turbans and women to wear basanti 'dupatta'.

Also, read | Bhagwant Mann has the last laugh, to become first AAP CM in Punjab

Born in Satoj village of Sangrur district in 1973, Mann was a comedian and an actor before jumping into politics. He shot to prominence for the first time due to his sense of humour in 2008 when he competed in the Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star Plus. He has also acted in National Award-winning Film 'Main Maa Punjab Dee' directed by Balwant Dullat.

The Arvind-Kejriwal-led party scripted history by becoming the first regional party to win two states, Delhi, and now Punjab.

In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, when the Congress won a majority by bagging 77 seats and ousted the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party government after 10 years, the AAP emerged the second-largest party winning 20 seats in the 117-member assembly. SAD could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP bagged three seats.

Mann was tipped to be AAP's CM face in 2017 as well but the party didn't announce the name. Many say the decision cost AAP the elections.