Charanjit Singh Channi will take oath today, September 20, as the next chief minister of Punjab, making him the first Dailt to hold the post in the state. Charanjit Singh Chani will be the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab and the swearing-in ceremony will be held at 11 am in Chandigarh. Channi a three-time MLA from Rupnagar’s Chamkaur Sahib.
Sukhjinder Randhawa, who was the frontrunner for the post just a few hours before Channi’s appointment, was given the post of deputy chief minister along with Brahm Mohindra, AICC Treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal tweeted. Channi met Governor Banwarilal Purohit to stake his claim to the top job in the poll-bound state soon after being elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. His deputy chief ministers will take oath beside him. A decision on the new cabinet will be taken later. The Congress infighting in Punjab has been almost perpetual, ever since Navjot Singh Sidhu took over as the PPCC Chief. Soon after this, Amarinder submitted his resignation citing discontent and ‘humiliation’ he faced within the party. He submitted his resignation to state Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to attend the oath-taking ceremony. The party’s Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said on Sunday that there will be two deputy chief ministers in the state. Channi was technical education minister in Amarinder Singh’s cabinet. He faces the daunting task of controlling the incessant infighting, which is unlikely to ebb even after Amarinder Singh’s exit and could emerge as a major challenge for a party trying to retain power in the state.
