Captain Amarinder Singh sworn in as Punjab chief minister

Chandigarh, March 16: Captain Amarinder Singh took oath as chief minister of Punjab at Chandigarh's Raj Bhavan on Thursday. Governor V P Singh Badnore administered the oath of office and secrecy to Amarinder.

The ministers inducted included Brahm Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.

The two women inducted are Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana. Both will be ministers of state with independent charge.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Amarinder Singh on taking over as the Punjab chief minister.

Also, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu was sworn in as a cabinet minister of the Punjab government.

Manpreet Singh Badal was also sworn in as cabinet minister.

The Congress got a big win in the state over the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party alliance and the Aam Aadmi Party. Along with the Captain, Braham Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Tript Tajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi will take oath as cabinet ministers. Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana will be ministers of state.

The ceremony was a low-key affair as Amarinder wanted to save on funds as the state is in financial trouble. This is the second time that Amarinder is taking oath as the Punjab chief minister. This is the second time that Singh takes oath as chief minister, having served in that capacity in 2002-2007. The Captain netted 77 of 117 assembly seats for the party in the election that may be his last, leaving 20 for the AAP and 15 for the Akali Dal.

The day was being dubbed as consolation for the Congress as it could form a government in only Punjab of the five states that had gone to polls. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were present for the oath taking. Senior Congress leaders, including Sachin Pilot, Raj Babbar, Ambika Soni, Pawan Bansal and Ajay Maken also attended the ceremony.

OneIndia News