Punjab cabinet expansion: 7 fresh faces likely to take oath as ministers today

Five ministers of the Amarinder Singh government may be dropped.

New Delhi: The oath taking ceremony of the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Punjab cabinet will take place today (September 26, 2021) at the Raj Bhawan and may see the induction of seven new faces. With the list of ministers for the new cabinet finalised, the new Punjab Chief Minister had met Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday, a meeting that came hours after he returned from Delhi having held a final round of discussion with the Congress high command on the cabinet reshuffle.

As per reports, Pargat Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Kuljit Nagra and Rana Gurjit Singh are expected to be included in the cabinet.

Congress is also likely to retain Vijay Inder Singla, Manpreet Singh Badal, Brahm Mohindra, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Aruna Chaudhary, Razia Sultana and Bharat Bhushan Ashu from the Amarinder Singh government. However, five ministers, namely Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Sunder Sham Arora, part of the Singh government, may be dropped. 

A total of 18 MLAs can be included in the cabinet, including Chief Minister Channi and two of his deputies Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni. 

Earlier on Saturday, Channi had said that he will meet Ministers, MLAs and other political office bearers at his office every Tuesday. He also informed that a Cabinet meeting will be held every Tuesday. 

(With agency inputs)