Charanjit Singh Channi Takes Oath As 16th CM Of Punjab
Making history by being the first-ever Dalit leader of the state, Charanjit Singh Channi has taken the oath to become the chief minister of Punjab today, September 20, at 11 am.
As per media reports, the oath-taking ceremony was a small affair that took place in Chandigarh, with just around 40 attendees.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by many officials from the party, including Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi. Earlier, reports had suggested that Rahul Gandhi would not be attending the ceremony due to COVID restrictions. The oath-taking ceremony has been administered by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Channi has been appointed the CM of Punjab two days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post following an internal row in the Congress party. Sigh submitted his resignation from the post of Punjab CM just months before the next Punjab assembly elections.
Soon after the appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi was announced, party leaders also stated that this time, Punjab will have two Deputy CMs- one to represent the Jat Sikh population and the other to represent the Hindu population in the state.
Subsequently, it was announced that Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Brahm Mohindra have been appointed the Deputy CMs of Punjab. After the sudden changes in leadership in Punjab on September 18, the Congress party was quick to appoint the new CM and Deputy CMs for the state.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was one of the frontrunners for the post of Punjab CM before the party high command decided on Charanjit Singh Channi. Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni was also approached for the top post in the state, as per reports, but she rejected it, stating that the post should be occupied by a Sikh leader.
Captain Amarinder Sigh stepped down from the post of Punjab Chief Minister on September 18 before the meeting of the party legislators. He reportedly also resigned due to an internal conflict cause between him and party member Navjot Singh Sidhu.