AAP declares Bhagwant Mann as CM face for Punjab Assembly polls
Chandigarh: Bhagwant Mann will be the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief ministerial face for the Punjab Assembly polls, party chief Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old two-time Sangrur MP's name was announced at a public event where Kejriwal declared the result of the AAP's 'Janta Chunegi Apna CM' drive in which it had asked the people of Punjab as to who should be the party's chief ministerial candidate.
Mann is the party's state unit chief.
The party had received 21.59 lakh responses under its campaign to elect its CM face for the Assembly polls, party leaders said.
Addressing the media here, Kejriwal said, Out of 21.59 lakh votes received, many people included my name. I had earlier said that I am not in the race. We declared those votes (naming Kejriwal) as invalid. Out of the remaining, 93.3 percent, people named Sardar Bhagwant Mann's name".
On the second slot was (Punjab Congress chief) Navjot Singh Sidhu, who got 3.6 percent votes, added Kejriwal.
Bhagwant Mann is officially declared as Punjab's next CM and AAP's CM face said Kejriwal.
After his name was announced, Mann got emotional. The comedian turned politician's mother and sister were also present at the event.
The AAP is the only outfit among major parties contesting the polls which have announced its chief ministerial face.
Voting for Punjab's 117 Assembly seats is scheduled for February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.
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'The Ba**ds of Bollywood’ mirrors my life, damages my reputation: Sameer Wankhede tells Delhi HC
New Delhi: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has submitted his reply to the Delhi High Court in the defamation case he filed against Red Chillies Entertainment, the production company owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan. The case pertains to the recently released series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, which Wankhede claims has defamed him.
In his statement to the court, Wankhede asserted that the show’s portrayal of a police officer is clearly based on him and has caused serious harm to his public image. He cited four key reasons supporting his claim.
First, he said the character in question bears physical similarities to him, including facial and body features. Second, he noted that the character’s working style and mannerisms closely resemble his own.
Third, Wankhede highlighted that the officer in the show is depicted making a high-profile arrest involving a major film personality, which he said directly mirrors his own involvement in the Aryan Khan drug case.
Fourth, he pointed out that the character frequently uses the phrase “Satyameva Jayate,” a motto he himself had used during media interactions in the course of that investigation. He argued that using the national motto in such a context cannot be dismissed as creative expression or humour.
Wankhede also referred to an interview in which Aryan Khan allegedly admitted that the show was “inspired by some real events.” This, he said, contradicts Red Chillies Entertainment’s claim that The Ba**ds of Bollywood* is purely fictional.
He further alleged that the tone and intent of the series indicate personal and institutional vendetta, aimed at discrediting and defaming him rather than engaging in artistic storytelling.
Wankhede informed the court that the fallout from the show has affected his family, with his wife and sister receiving abusive and vulgar messages online.
Rejecting Red Chillies’ argument that he is a “thin-skinned” officer, Wankhede said that a public servant cannot be expected to tolerate false and damaging portrayals simply because of his position. He emphasized that his legal action seeks to protect the constitutional rights and dignity of both himself and his family.
