Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann gets married to doctor from Kurukshetra
Chandigarh(PTI): The regular 'band, bajaa, baraat' were missing but the festivities seemed intact as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann turned groom for his wedding with a doctor from Kurukshetra at his home on Thursday.
It was a private ceremony without the usual crowds, so much a part of the big, fat Indian wedding. Though few details were available, visuals on television and Twitter showed Mann and his bride dressed in red at the Anand Karaj ceremony.
Aam Aadmi Party colleague Raghav Chadha also shared some images on Twitter showing Mann, in his regular yellow turban and a gold coloured kurta-pyjama, with party chief Arvind Kejriwal and others.
Mann (48), the first chief minister of the state to get married while in office, is tying the knot with Dr Gurpreet Kaur from Pehowa in Kurukshetra in Haryana.
This is Mann's second marriage. He separated from his first wife in 2015 -- they have two children, daughter Seerat Kaur (21) and son Dilshan (17).
Tight security arrangements were in place at the chief minister's home in Sector 2.
Gurpreet Kaur (30) shared a picture of herself on Twitter and wrote, "Din Shagna Da Chadya (the day of marriage has arrived)". She also thanked AAP leaders for their congratulatory messages.
According to party insiders, the wedding, being solemnised according to Sikh rituals, was attended by Mann's mother and sister and just a few guests, including Kejriwal and his family.
Kejriwal told reporters at the airport, Today is a day of immense happiness that my younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ji is getting married and is making a new beginning.
"May God bless him with a happy married life and both (the couple) always remain happy.
AAP MP Chadha shared several pictures on his Twitter handle, one post showing Mann and himself on a sofa. He quoted a Punjabi song of celebration, "Saade veer da vyah, Saanu gode gode chah", as the caption.
There were also pictures of the groom at his festooned home, walking under a canopy held up by Chadha among others, and at the ceremony.
Chadha said, A new chapter in CM Bhagwant Mann's life is going to start today. I congratulate Mann saab's family, his mother and sister. It will be a small function. Only family members will attend."
"We all are happy that happiness has returned to Mann saab's family after a long time. It was his mother's dream to see her son getting settled again. Today, that dream is going to come true," he told reporters.
Gurpreet Kaur completed her MBBS from a private university in Haryana in 2018. She has two elder sisters who are settled abroad.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
