Charanjit Singh Channi

Charanjit Singh Channi is an Indian politician affiliated with the Indian National Congress party. Born on March 1, 1963, in Makrona Kalan village near Chamkaur Sahib, Punjab, he belongs to the Ramdasia Sikh community. His parents are Harsa Singh and Ajmer Kaur. Channi grew up in Kharar, SAS Nagar, Mohali, after his family relocated there due to his father's work in Malaysia and the subsequent establishment of a tent house business in Kharar. Harsa Singh’s role as Sarpanch ignited Channi’s political aspirations.

Following his father's footsteps, Channi also entered into politics via campus. His political journey began in 2002 when he was elected as the President of the Kharar municipal council. He first became an MLA in the Punjab Legislative Assembly as an independent candidate from Chamkaur Sahib in 2007 and later won two more terms as a Congress candidate. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2016.

When the Congress party came to power in Punjab, Channi was appointed the Minister of Technical Education and Industrial Training under Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. During his tenure, Channi faced allegations of sending an inappropriate text message to IAS officer Kavita Singh in October 2018, which was later resolved after an apology.

In 2021, Channi was involved in a controversy for flipping a coin to decide between two candidates for a lecturer position, explaining that the candidates suggested the toss themselves.

Channi became the Chief Minister of Punjab in 2021 after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned due to conflicts with Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

On the personal front, Channi is married to Dr. Kamaljit Kaur, and they have two sons, Navjit Singh and Rhythmjit Singh. His net worth is Rs 10,21,19,804.