Fact check: Is Bhagwant Mann, Punjab’s youngest CM

New Delhi, Mar 21: The Aam Aadmi Party made history when it won the Punjab assembly elections with a thumping majority. While wishes poured in for the new Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, there is also a claim doing the rounds stating that he is the youngest chief minister of Punjab.

One post on Punjabi read, Bhagwant Singh Mann has been elected the 28th Chief Minister of Punjab. He's also been honoured as the youngest CM of Punjab, by becoming the CM at the age of 48.

This is however a misleading claim, OneIndia has learnt. When one looks up at the list of chief ministers of Punjab it can be seen that Parkash Singh Badal was chief minister of Punjab at the age of 43. Badal was chief minister of Punjab five times. He became the first chief minister of Punjab in March 1970 and headed a coalition of government of the Akali Dal and Jana Sangh. Badal became CM again in 1977 and served till 1980. Between 1997 and 2002, he served as the CM for a third term.

Badal was born on December 8 1927 at Sri Muktsar Sahib. He is 94 years old. Hence it is wrong to state that Mann, who was born on October 17 1973 and is aged 48 years old is the youngest CM of Punjab.