Harpal Singh Cheema, a two-time legislator from Dirba and AAP's Dalit face, in Bhagwant Mann's cabinet now

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New Delhi: Ten Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs sworn in as Ministers in Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Cabinet on Saturday (March 19, 2022). The oath-taking ceremony started around 11 am at the Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh.

The ministers that were inducted include Harpal Singh Cheema, a two-time legislator from Dirba and the party's Dalit face. Cheema is an advocate by profession and had defeated Shiromani Akali Dal's Gulzar Singh Moonak by a margin of 50,655 votes. 

ਅੱਜ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਨੇ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕੀ ਅਤੇ ਨਾਲ਼ ਹੀ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਉਮੀਦਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੂਰਾ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਵੀ ਪ੍ਰਣ ਲਿਆ।

ਸਾਰੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਮੰਤਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ੁਭਕਾਮਨਾਵਾਂ। ਸਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ਼ ਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ 3 ਕਰੋੜ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਲਈ ਪੂਰੀ ਇਮਾਨਦਾਰੀ ਨਾਲ਼ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੈ, ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ ਫ਼ਿਰ ਤੋਂ ਸੁਨਿਹਰਾ ਬਣਾਉਣਾ ਹੈ। pic.twitter.com/PFYVTvUwZT — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) March 19, 2022

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਦਾ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ ਤੋਂ LIVE https://t.co/amw1PXsWaO — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) March 19, 2022

He was first elected as an MLA in 2017 and has also served as a member of the Assembly Committee on the welfare of SCs, STs and BCs. 

In July 2018, Cheema was appointed leader of the opposition of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. 

He had joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party just before the 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections. 

Meanwhile, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has also decided to nominate Kultar Singh Sandhwan as Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Earlier on March 16, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit had administered the oath of office and secrecy to Bhagwant Mann in a ceremony at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh.

AAP romped home with 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly, decimating the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party combine.