Unpredictable Journey Of Bhagwant Mann: From Standup Comedian To Punjab’s Chief Minister

A look at Bhagwant Mann’s journey from a comedian to becoming Punjab Chief Minister

Comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann is the face of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab which came to power with a resounding majority, after winning 92 out of 117 assembly seats in the state.

The 49-year-old is now a sitting Member of Parliament from Punjab. He won the election from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 and 2019 and was chosen as the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate earlier on January 18, 2022, and won the Punjab polls from the Dhuri seat.

Mann’s career in comedy was at its peak when he quit and joined politics. In 2011, he joined hands with Manpreet Badal’s People’s Party of Punjab.

From a stint as a standup comedian to a politician, one thing that has always been common for Bhagwant Mann is the stage. Here are a few things you must know about the 49-year-old politician who is governing the 2-crore strong state. 

Bhagwant Mann is from Satauj village in the Sangrur district of Punjab. He was born on October 17, 1973.

As a satirist and a comedian, Mann was already in the national limelight when he appeared as a contestant on the popular reality TV show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in the early 2000s where one of the judges was Navjot Singh Sidhu, the incumbent Punjab Congress chief on the show.

In 2012, the former comedian made his electoral debut, contesting the Punjab assembly polls from Sangrur (Lehragaga) as a candidate of Manpreet Badal’s People’s Party. However, he lost the elections.

Mann quit the party when Manpreet Badal merged his party with Congress.

Bhagwant Mann joined the Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal in 2014, and from Sangrur, he contested the Lok Sabha elections and defeated Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by more than 2 lakh votes. He was later appointed as the Punjab chief for AAP.

Bhagwant Mann resigned as Punjab AAP chief on March 1, 2018, to protest Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia to settle a drug defamation case. However, he later withdrew his resignation. 

Mann retained the seat in 2019 and entered the Lok Sabha as the lone AAP leader. 

During his political tenure before he was made the Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann made headlines and repeatedly came under attack from his opponents over his lifestyle choices. He was accused of being an alcoholic by his political rivals.

Soon, Bhagwant Mann was announced as the chief ministerial candidate in Punjab for AAP on January 19 by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The party also revealed that the survey to pick the Chief Minister’s face had elicited over 2.15 million responses.

He won the Dhuri Assembly constituency by over 58,206 votes in Sangrur.

LIFE BEFORE POLITICS

Mann got his big break in 1992 when he was only 19 years old. A music producer recorded a cassette (Kulfi Garma Garam), which parodied famous Punjabi songs.

Not only this, but by 1994, Mann was invited for multiple stand-up comedy shows across India and he was also performing in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada. Mann during his tour was often accompanied by his co-performers Karamjit Anmol and comedian Binnu Dhillon.

It is also said that Mann co-created a comedy show known as Jugnu Kehnda Hai in the 1990s, which ran for almost 10 years on Alpha ETC Punjabi.

It was then a few years later, he made it to the national stage and participated in India’s popular stand-up comedy show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. 

‘POLITICS OVER MARRIAGE’

Mann announced that his wife, who had helped him in his campaigns in the early stages of his life, had filed for divorce because he had chosen “Punjab over family”.

“An artiste can devote time at home, but not a politician whose job is 24×7. Mann could not give time at home properly and that cost him his marriage,” as per Binnu Dhillon.

According to his friends, it is said that politics also caused several financial troubles for Mann where he had to sell several lands to follow his political ambitions, and at one point, he didn’t even have enough money to put petrol in his car. But now, he has declared assets of over Rs 1.60 crore.

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