Punjab Cabinet Expansion: Balkar Singh, Gurmeet Singh Khudian Take Oath Today

Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Balkar Singh, both members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), were officially sworn-in as new ministers in Punjab on Wednesday as part of the cabinet expansion under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Raj Bhavan, where Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers.

Gurmeet Singh Khudian, aged 60, represents the Lambi constituency in Muktsar as a legislator. He gained prominence as the giant slayer during the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections when he defeated the five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal from his own stronghold by a significant margin of 11,396 votes.

Balkar Singh, also 60 years old, is an MLA from the Kartarpur reserved seat in Jalandhar. Prior to joining the AAP in 2021, Singh served as a police officer in Punjab. This is his first term as a legislator.

This marks the third expansion of the cabinet under the 14-month-old Mann-led government in Punjab. The first cabinet expansion took place in July 2022, when five party legislators were inducted. In January of this year, senior AAP leader and Patiala Rural MLA Dr. Balbir Singh was sworn-in as a cabinet minister following the resignation of Fauja Singh Sarari.

The cabinet expansion reflects the AAP government's efforts to strengthen its administration and bring in new voices to contribute to the development and governance of Punjab.