Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, OP Soni sworn in as Punjab deputy CMs

New Delhi, Sep 20: Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi took oath as chief minister of Punjab, making him the first Dalit to hold the top post in the state. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni were also sworn in. They will be designated as deputy chief ministers.

With Channi, a dalit leader and a three time MLA elevation to the top post, the Congress is expecting a major fillip to its prospects in Dalit belts ahead of the assembly elections next year.

An estimated 30 per cent of the state's population, counting both Sikhs and Hindus, is from that community. The Doaba region - Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar and Kapurthala districts - has the highest population of Dalits.

Meanwhile, in a bid to balance the caste equation, the Congress is learnt to have decided on offering the post of Deputy CM to Brahm Mohindra, a Hindu face, and Sukhjinder Randhawa, a Jat.

The opposition BJP had earlier announced that if voted to power in Punjab, it will make a Dalit the chief minister, while the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is fighting the polls in alliance with the BSP had said that its deputy CM would be from that community.