Punjab: No deputy chief minister post for Navjot Singh Sidhu

There were earlier reports that Amarinder Singh wanted Sidhu in his cabinet as a minister but the decision on Sidhu's designation was taken by the party high command in Delhi.

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who defected into Congress from BJP before assembly elections, sworn in as a cabinet minister of Punjab government on Thursday.

There were earlier reports that Amarinder Singh wanted Sidhu in his cabinet as a minister but the decision on Sidhu's designation was taken by the party high command in Delhi.

Sidhu had dubbed the Congress victory in Punjab assembly elections as its revival and blamed SAD's rout on its leadership's 'arrogance and turning treasury into personal property'.

"It is the revival of the Congress; it is just the beginning. It is my promise to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that we'll work very hard to revive the state and make it an example for others to follow," Sidhu had said after election results.

Amarinder also took oath as the 26th chief minister of Punjab. The Congress got a big win in the state over the SAD and the BJP alliance and the AAP.

This is the second time Amarinder became chief minister of the state. He had remained chief minister from 2002-2007 previously.

The Congress swept the Punjab assembly elections in the results declared on March 11, winning 77 out of 117 seats. The party returned to power after a decade.

OneIndia News