Who is Anmol Gagan Maan, the Punjab AAP MLA who has bidden adieu to politics?

AAP MLA Anmol Gagan Maan on Saturday (July 19) announced her decision to quit politics and resigned from the Punjab Assembly, where she represented the Kharar constituency. She also requested Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to accept her resignation.

She took to the social media platform X to announce her decision. She wrote in Punjabi, “My heart is heavy, but I have decided to leave politics. My resignation from the post of MLA should be accepted by the Speaker.” She added, “My best wishes are with the party. I hope the Punjab government will live up to the expectations of the people.”

From music world to politics

Hailing from Punjab’s Mansa district, Anmol Gagan Maan seamlessly transitioned from the world of music to the rough and tumble of state politics.

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A well-known Punjabi singer, Anmol, has several awards and accolades in folk singing at both national and international levels to her name. She discovered her passion for music at an early age. In 2014, she travelled to England and won the World Folk Dance Competition in the same year. She holds a degree in Psychology and Music from MCM DAV College, Chandigarh.

Anmol began her singing career in 2014 with the song Royal Jatti and went on to release her album Punjabo in 2015. She is also known for popular tracks like Ghaint Purpose, Sherni, and others.

She also plays the Tumbi, a high-pitched, single-stringed musical instrument, making her one of the few female singers in the world known for performing with it.

Success on electoral debut

Anmol joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2021 and won from Kharar constituency in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections when the party swept the polls, winning 92 out of the 117 Assembly seats.

She defeated Shiromani Akali Dal's Ranjit Singh Gill by a margin of 37,718 votes in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. During the campaign, her promise to ensure the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers went viral. She urged people to vote for AAP, assuring them that if elected, the party would decide on the MSP, one of the farmers' key demands, within “five minutes.”

In Bhagwant Mann’s government, Anmol served as a minister and held portfolios such as tourism and culture, investment promotion, labour, and hospitality. However, she was dropped during a cabinet reshuffle in September last year.

Had resigned last month

While Maan announced her resignation on Saturday, AAP sources said she had put in her papers to the Speaker about a month ago. The party, however, had been trying to persuade her to reconsider the decision.

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Earlier this week, Maan met AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and had a discussion on various key issues. She shared a photo from the meeting on X and wrote, “Had an in-depth discussion with our National Convenor Shri @ArvindKejriwal Ji on various key issues. His dream of uplifting society always fills us with courage and inspiration.”