Punjab Singer Anmol Gangan Maan One Of The Ministers In AAP Govt.

Ms. Maan, the lead singer of the AAP campaign song released

After winning the hearts of the people in Punjab polls, Singer Anmol Gagan Maan, who sang a 'Kejriwal Anthem,' is one of five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs who became ministers in the Bhagwant Mann-led government in Punjab today.

According to the officials, it will be the second batch of ministers sworn in after the Arvind Kejriwal-led party came to power with 92 of the state's 117 seats. Ms Maan is also only the second woman in the 15-member state cabinet. Three slots are vacant.

Before joining the party, Anmol Gagan Maan was the lead singer of the AAP campaign song released last January.

Taking notes from the five new ministers, Aman Arora from Sunam has been a legislator before. The four first-timers include Ms Maan from the Kharar segment, Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Fauja Singh Sarari from Guru Har Sahai, and Chetan Singh Jourmajra from Samana. Of the party's 92 MLAs, 85 are first-timers.

Inderbir Singh Nijjar is from the Majha region, the other four are from the Malwa, which has nearly half the state's assembly seats. The third region, Doaba, already has some representation in the cabinet.

Meanwhile, Malwa is seen as the bedrock of AAP's strength in Punjab, though a recent loss in the Lok Sabha bypoll from Sangrur - the seat that Bhagwant Mann vacated after becoming a chief minister - has added a caveat.

After the victory in March, 10 MLAs, including eight first-timers, were made ministers, besides Bhagwant Mann. In May, Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked over corruption charges.

While making additions now, caste and religion -- besides region — were considered, sources said. Aman Arora, whose winning margin was the highest in the elections at over 75,000, was the first one to take oath today. The fact that Mr Arora was not inducted in the first batch had led to questions as he is a prominent Hindu face of the Punjab AAP unit.