Punjab to have two Deputy Chief Ministers, says Harish Rawat
Sep 19, 2021
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 20 : After Congress announced Charanjit Singh Channi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab on Sunday, the state party in-charge Harish Rawat said that there will be two Deputy Chief Ministers in the state.
Speaking to ANI, Harish Rawat said, "There will be two Deputy Chief Ministers in the Punjab government. There is a Sikh community in the state, so now one Deputy Chief Minister will be from Jat Sikh community and the other will be from the Hindu community."
Sources say among two Deputy chief ministers; one will be a Jat Sikh for which MLA from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa's name is being considered while from Hindu community probables include Brahm Singh Mohindra (MLA from Patiala rural), Vijay Inder Singla (MLA from Sangrur) and Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Punjab Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister).
If the second name of Deputy Chief Minister gets finalised then along with Channi, two Deputy CMs will take the oath on Monday. However, if the decision on Deputy CMs is delayed then they will be administered the oath later.
Charanjit Singh Channi is scheduled to take the oath at 11 am today as the 16th Chief Minister of the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab's new Chief Minister in Chandigarh, sources told ANI.
They further informed that the gathering at the ceremony will be small consisting of 40 people.
Amarinder Singh on Saturday stepped down from the post of Punjab Chief Minister following months of infighting between him and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. He submitted his resignation to state Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Singh, after his resignation, said that he felt "humiliated" adding that he had been summoned thrice by the central leadership in the past two months.
These developments came months before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Earlier on Sunday, Congress' in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat said Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party and is set to take over as next chief minister.
"It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Sh. Charanjit Singh Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab," tweeted Rawat.
