A day after his daughter was born in a private hospital, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday brought his newborn baby daughter home and named her Niyamat Kaur Mann.

Accompanied by his wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur, who was discharged from a private hospital in Mohali after giving birth to their daughter on Thursday, Mann held the baby girl in his arms as he interacted with the media outside his residence. “Today, it is a big day for my family and my wife. Our relatives have reached home and all are very happy. I thank Almighty for giving us a healthy baby,” Mann said.
 
“Whether it is a boy or a girl, the first thing is that the child should be healthy. Secondly, the child should be given a good education and allowed to chase their dreams. Our daughters are no less and they are excelling in every field and I am happy that I have become a father to a girl,” he said.

Replying to a question, Mann said he visited Fortis Hospital in Mohali on Wednesday evening when his wife got admitted there for the child’s delivery.  He said during her visits to the hospital for checkups earlier he intentionally avoided not to accompany her as his visits involved security protocols and he did not want any inconvenience to patients.

About the baby’s name, he said a few days back he and his wife listened to a song and a word came up from there. “This line had come in that song–Niyamat rab di daad, khuda di bakshish,” he said. So, we thought if a baby girl is born, we will name her Niyamat, which means divine blessing, the CM said.

When asked if Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also congratulated him on her daughter’s birth, Mann said he is part of the family, he is like an elder brother. “He has congratulated us and what would I tell him that he has become ‘tau’ or ‘dada’,” he said. 

Mann married Dr Kaur in 2022 after he separated from his first wife in 2015. He has a son and a daughter from his first marriage.  Congratulatory messages poured in on Thursday after the couple were blessed with a baby girl. While leaving Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court where the Enforcement Directorate had produced him, Kejriwal congratulated Mann on his daughter’s birth. 

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar had also extended his congratulations to the Mann family. Mann’s cabinet colleagues including Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and Anmol Gagan Mann had also congratulated him.   

Citizens can register their vote until April 26: Hry CEO

PNS Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Friday said that citizens still have the last chance to get their vote registered for the Lok Sabha general elections and can register their vote until April 26. 

The Chief Electoral Officer said that eligible individuals can register their vote by filling out Form-6 with the concerned BLO, Election Registration Officer, and Assistant Election Registration Officer. This form is also available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, https://www.ceoharyana.gov.in and can be downloaded. To register a vote, individuals can apply offline or online with two passport-size coloured photographs, along with proof of residence and an age certificate. 

Agarwal said that for the convenience of persons with disability (PwD) voters in the state, EPIC cards and photo voter slips will be printed in Braille script, and facilities such as Braille ballot papers and slips on EVMs will also be available. In addition to this, various facilities are being provided to PwD voters, including arrangements for wheelchairs, ramps at polling stations, and transportation.

He said that so far, the number of identified PwD voters in the state is 1,48,597. Arrangements will be made to bring PwD voters to the polling station. Wheelchairs will also be made available to those voters who are unable to walk. Arrangements for ramps will be made at every polling station. Additionally, arrangements for volunteers from NGOs, NSS, and Red Cross will also be made for their assistance, shared Agarwal.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that visually impaired voters and PwD voters who are unable to cast their vote by pressing the machine button can bring a helper with them to cast their vote. The age of the helper should be 18 years or older. He said that PwD voters who are capable of casting their vote by pressing the EVM button can bring a helper along with them to the voting booth, but the helper cannot enter the voting booth.

Agarwal said that according to the registered voter data so far, there are a total of 1,98,29,675 voters in the state, including 1,05,25,840 males, 93,03,385 females, and 450 transgender voters.