Simranjit Singh Mann

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann, a former IPS officer who had resigned in protest against Op Bluestar in 1984, ...

While Congress fielded Dalvir Goldy, who had contested against Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri in the Assembly elections, BJP fielded Kewal Dhillon, a well-heeled industrialist and former Congress legislator; and Akali Dal gave its ticket to Kamaldeep Kaur, sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death row convict in the former CM Beant Singh assassination case. Though CM Bhagwant Mann did spend the last couple of days in Sangrur, it was too late by then to win over voters He was shot dead days after his security cover was withdrawn by the AAP government. Even in the recent Punjab Assembly polls, he had finished in the second spot at the Alamgarh Assembly seat. His party, which had hoped to make a dent in the state polls, did not win a single seat. Many voters were reportedly unhappy at the inaccessibility of the local legislators.

It is a victory of party workers and the teachings of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, said Simranjit Singh Mann after winning Sangrur Lok Sabha by-poll on ...

His Khalistani agenda is a threat to the peace & integrity of Punjab & Country.— Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) His Khalistani agenda is a threat to the peace and integrity of Punjab and country," tweeted Congress's Ravneet Singh Bittu. "Democracy lost today in Sangrur". "Punjab can't be pushed back in the blind alley of violence and terrorism.

India News: Former IPS officer Simranjit Singh Mann's surprise triumph in Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's lair is now being seen as a sign of voters gradually ...

The winner, Simranjit Singh Mann, raised the pitch on the killings of Moose Wala and kabaddi player Sandeep Sandhu on the stump. Mann soldiered on despite the losses, even raising his voice in support of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Khalistan. After his victory, Simranjit said, " It's a win of our party workers and of the teachings that Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has given." The murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, a day after AAP had pruned the security of over 400 people, including his, played a big role in the AAP’s defeat in the Sangrur bypoll, according to analysts.

Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll: After the win, Simranjit Singh Mann said it was a victory of party workers and the teachings of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Mann was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tarn Taran in 1989 and Sangrur in 1999. "It's a win of our party workers and of the teachings that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has given. The bypoll result has left AAP with zero seat in the Lower House.

In a big blow to the ruling party in Punjab just three months after it registered a resounding victory in the Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ...

He was getting a good response from youth as he was raising the issue of the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala as well as the “failures” of the state government. The SAD, which figured last, focused mainly on the release of Sikh prisoners during campaigning, the BJP gave party ticket to Kewal Dhillon, who joined the party just a day before the announcement of nomination, while the Congress failed to offer any concrete agenda. I am your son and would not leave any stone unturned for a better future of your families.” SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann defeated AAP candidate Gurmail Singh by 5,822 votes while the SAD, BJP and Congress candidates lost their security deposits. The election was necessitated as former Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann resigned after becoming the CM. Voters apparently considered Simranjit a good alternative even during the initial days of campaigning.

Simranjit Singh Mann's political career was written off long back by political pundits — from the SGPC polls to parliamentary elections, he suffered defeat ...

Though historically, Mann never had any connection with Sangrur, he has known the pulse of “impulsive people” here. The political journey of Mann started when as a 1966-batch IPS officer, he quit service in protest against Operation Bluestar in 1984. In the last Assembly poll, while contesting from Amargarh, Mann had taunted the “Sikh kaum”, saying: “Do you want ‘jharu’ (AAP’s symbol) or ‘sword’?” If not then, people have now chosen their preference. Gopal Singh, an associate of Mann for decades, says the continuous lows for two decades could not shake Mann’s conviction. More than victory, they are known for voting to ensure defeat of a specific party or candidate. Mann lost five parliamentary elections from Sangrur alone.

Khalistani separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was killed during Operation Bluestar which was carried out in June 1984 by the Indian Army to flush ...

Dubbed 'Budda Jarnail' by some of his critics, Simranjit was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tarn Taran in 1989 and Sangrur in 1999. He joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1967. Humungous Human Rights breaches of scholars, writers and journalists of Kashmir take place with impunity. The tribal people in Bihar and Chhattisgarh are being shot dead calling them Naxalites. I will meet the candidate who is contesting for the presidential poll and discuss this." "It is a historic victory with which all the parties including BJP, Akali Dal, Congress, AAP will be perplexed because we have won after a long time. Let’s work together towards justice, peace and prosperity."

Many believe him to be the original Mann of Punjab. With his victory in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Sangrur, he is staking a claim to the panthic leadership.

The previous government under the Captain was perceived to have moved at a snail’s pace and the AAP government under Mann is perceived to be slower still. After his victory, Mann is staking a claim to the panthic leadership and filling this space. Mann comes from a strong political family in Punja--his father Joginder Singh Mann was a close associate of Akali Dal stalwart Master Tara Singh and speaker of the state assembly between 1967 and 1969. Now, when the Akali Dal under Sukhbir Badal is struggling to capture the panthic vote base and agenda, his victory has placed Mann in a position to reclaim the panthic leadership space. Otherwise, they and the Mann family have a good inter-personal relationship. His party took a risk in fielding Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana—the sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted in the murder of the then chief minister Beant Singh—but came a poor fourth. Simranjit Singh Mann—whose supporters call him the real Mann of Punjab—made his third entry in Parliament. His first was in 1989, when he and his associates swept the polls in the state at the peak of militancy, winning six (all panthic seats) out of 13 seats and Mann winning the Tarn Taran seat sitting in Bhagalpur (Bihar) jail. The issues that thrust Punjab into two decades of militancy—such as the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, the status of the SYL canal, along with the transfer of the Punjabi-speaking areas of Himachal and Haryana back to the state--are back in the reckoning. A new member of Parliament of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) from Sangrur in Punjab, he demolished this bastion of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab. Mann defeated AAP’s Gurmel Singh by 6,070 votes to clinch the bypoll for this Lok Sabha seat. The Bhagwant Mann government is already facing criticism of overcommitment, losing its grip on governance, over-dependence on Arvind Kejriwal for decision-making and the inability to take up panthic issues. In the previous Lok Sabha election, Mann had lost even his deposit. The local administration, allegedly under the pressure of Bhagwant Mann, extended the poll by an hour, about which the opposition had complained to the Election Commission. The EC is already inquiring about the same.