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| - Fact Check: No, Bhagwant Mann isn't the youngest Chief Minister in Punjab's history
Social media users are sharing a post congratulating the new Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, claiming that he has been honoured as the state's youngest chief minister. India Today's Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading.
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India Today Fact Check
SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal holds the record of being the youngest CM in the history of Punjab. When he entered office in 1970, Senior Badal was only 43 years old.
Social media is abuzz with posts of appreciation and wishes for the new AAP government in Punjab. The new chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, was sworn-in on March 16, Wednesday, at Bhagat Singh's ancestral village, Khatkar Kalan.
Among these were posts that congratulated the AAP leader on becoming the youngest Chief Minister of Punjab. "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," one such poster in Punjabi read.
The India Today Anti Fake News War Room has found that the claim is misleading. The record of being the youngest chief minister of Punjab is held by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. When sworn in as the chief minister in 1970, Senior Badal was 43 years old.
AFWA Probe
While checking, we learned that Bhagwant Mann is actually 48 years old, as claimed in the post. He was born on October 17, 1973. However, there were no reports in the mainstream media that called him the youngest chief minister of Punjab. This was a major hint that the claim could be inaccurate, as it is unlikely for news organisations to skip such feats. No official handles of the AAP claimed to have given Punjab the youngest CM ever.
We looked up the list of chief ministers of Punjab, which showed that senior SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal had held the office at the age of 43.
Using Google keyword search, we retrieved more information on the topic. Following 94-year-old Parkash Badal's defeat from his bastion of Lambi in the 2022 Assembly polls, several national dailies pointed out his unique achievement of being chief minister at age 43. Given below are news reports that name the nonagenarian as the youngest CM in the state.
Born on December 8, 1927, Senior Badal became a legislator for the first time in 1957. The five-time CM's first tenure in office was from 1970 to 1971-- when he was 43 years old.
"From 1970-71, Badal became the youngest chief minister of an Indian state. He first became chief minister of Punjab in March 1970 and headed a coalition government of Akali Dal [Sant] and Jana Sangh," an India Today article published on the leader's 89th birthday said.
We further confirmed the information on the official website of SAD. "He has been the chief minister of the state from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017 [two consecutive terms]... In 1970, he became the youngest chief minister of an Indian state," his profile on the party website read.
Hence, it can be concluded that AAP's Bhagwant Mann isn't the youngest chief minister in the history of Punjab. The unique record is held by Parkash Singh Badal.
(With inputs from Yash Mittal in New Delhi)
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