Mann participated in youth comedy festivals and inter-college competitions.[5] He won two gold medals at a competition at the Punjabi University, Patiala for the Shaheed Udham Singh Government College, Sunam.
Mann developed comedy routines about typical Indian issues such as politics, business and sports. His first comedy album was with comedian Jagtar Jaggi. Together, they made a television program called Jugnu Kehnda Hai for Alpha ETC Punjabi. Ten years later, they parted ways.[6] Mann then formed a comedy partnership with Rana Ranbir. Together, they made the television program, Jugnu Mast Mast for Alpha ETC Punjabi. In 2006, Mann and Jaggi reunited and toured Canada and England with their show, No Life With Wife.
In March 2014, Mann joined the Aam Aadmi Party to contest elections in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. He fought his first Lok Sabha election against former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and won by 211,721 votes.[15]
In January 2019, Mann was appointed the convener of AAP Punjab for a second time. His political rivals had in past criticized him over alcohol use.[20] Mann has denied these allegations. In 2019, during a party rally in Barnala, Mann announced that he had denounced alcohol and swore never to touch it again.[21][22]
On 9 February, Mann raised issues about farmers in the Lok Sabha. The payment to sugarcane farmers for the year 2020–21 and 2021–22 had been pending. He appealed for clearing the due early along with interest. He asked for compensation for the losses in cotton farmers due to the pest attack. he asked that the Union government should recognize the farmers who died during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.[30]
Parliamentary Committee assignments
13 September 2019 onwards: Member, Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution[25]
In 2021, the Parliamentary Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution submitted a report to the Union Government recommending the implementation of the Essential Commodities Act, 2020. The Essential Commodities Act, 2020 was one among the three controversial 2020 Indian agriculture acts that led to the year-long 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest. Mann publicly released his statement that was made during the Committee meeting on 5 June 2020. In his statement, Mann had raised concerns that these farm laws would increase hoarding. Removal of onions and tomatoes from the list of Essential Commodities would lead to price rise due to illegal stockpiling to increase the price and then selling at higher prices. This will create hardships for the poor. He also raised the issue of hoarding potatoes.[31]
Mann contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and won. AAP won a large majority of 92 out of total 117 seats. Mann was designated as the CM. Two days before taking the oath as CM of Punjab, Mann resigned from his post of MP Sangrur on 14 March 2022.[32][33][34]
Even before taking the oath, CM designate Mann took steps to end the VIP culture and met the Director General of Police. The next day the police DGP in charge of security ordered the withdrawal of police security from 122 former MLAs and ministers. A total of 384 policemen involved in the security of those politicians were transferred to their parent unit. Mann had stated that the police force was needed for the security of the people and not VIPs. The security of former chief ministers was continued as they had been provided security on the instructions of the Union Home Ministry.[40][41] AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said Mann had "removed the security of old ministers and gave security to the public".[42]
Employment
On 19 March 2022, during the first Cabinet meeting, Mann announced his decision to fill 25,000 job openings in various departments of Punjab government. 10,000 of those vacancies were in the Punjab Police.[43]
On 22 March, he announced his decision to make the 35,000 employees in the state working on a temporary, contractual basis permanent government employees. He will bring a bill to the assembly to this effect. Announcing his decision he said, "I don't want these teachers protesting on the roads, I had promised to regularize their services if we are voted to power and I am fulfilling my promise."[44]
On 5 September, Teachers' Day in 2022, he announced that payment of teachers from government institutions in Punjab will be according to UGC’s Seventh Pay Commission from 1 October 2022.[45]
Education
On 30 March 2022, Mann ordered that private schools cannot hike their school fees in the year 2022. He also ordered that no school can force the parents to make school-related purchases from exclusive stores. This was done to protect the consumers from imposed monopoly.[46] On 10 September 2022, he announced bus services for girl students in Punjab government schools.[45]
Agriculture
On 18 March, the day of the Holi festival, Mann announced a compensation of ₹1,010 million (US$12 million) for farmers whose cotton crops were damaged by the pink bollworm.[47]
Transportation
In June 2022, Mann announced Volvo bus service between IGI Airport and different Punjab cities of the state. The tariff charged by the PRTC and PEPSU buses for the Airport were announced at half the rates being charged by the private bus operators. Mann said that this service would break the monopoly of a few families in bus business with political links.[48]
Electricity
Fulfilling their election promise of providing free electricity, from 1 July 2022 the people in Punjab would get 300 units of free electricity. 73.39 lakh domestic consumers were estimated to benefit from the scheme.[49]
On 19 November 2022, while giving a speech at Guru Nanak Dev University to commemorate Punjabi Language Month, Mann announced a government policy to require all public signboards to prominently feature Punjabi over other languages. He encouraged citizens to change their signs before 21 February 2023, after which the government will begin enforcing the rule. He also exhorted educational institutions to begin adding specialized Punjabi language courses, citing his perceived decline in the proper use of Punjabi pronunciation and grammatical rules.[51]
He is a comic poet who writes political satire. He is also a volleyball player.[58] He was married to Inderpreet Kaur until their divorce in 2015. They have a son (Dilshan) and a daughter (Seerat).[59][60]
At the age of 48, Mann married 32-year-old Gurpreet Kaur in 2022. She is a doctor by profession.[61][62][63] They have a girl born in March 2024.[64]
Addressing a rally in Barnala in January 2019, Bhagwant Mann said he had left consuming liquor on his mother's advice.[65]
Bhagwant Maan’s daughter Seerat accused him of physical abuse towards her and her mother, alcoholism, habitual lying. She also said that she will refer to him as CM Maan.[66]
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