Captain Amarinder Singh in charge of Punjab again

Chandigarh: Captain Amarinder Singh, who led the Congress to a resounding victory in Punjab, was on Thursday sworn in as the 26th chief minister of the state with nine ministers, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, also taking the oath of office. This is Amarinder Singh’s second stint as Punjab’s CM. The 75-year-old had led the Congress government from 2002 to 2007. Governor V.P. Singh Badnore administered the oath at a simple ceremony attended by top party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh, at the Punjab Raj Bhavan here Mr Sidhu was inducted into a seven-member Cabinet. Speculation was rife that the cricketer-turned-politician would be given the post of Punjab’s deputy CM, but he was second among the list of ministers to be sworn in. Brahm Mohindra was sworn in as Cabinet minister right after the CM.

Other Cabinet ministers are Manpreet Singh Badal, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi. Two women — Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana — were sworn in as ministers of state with independent charge.

Sporting a black sleeveless jacket adorned with Army medals, Amarinder Singh took the oath in English.

The council of ministers has representation from different castes, regions and faiths.

While Brahm Mohindra, the senior-most minister after Amarinder Singh, is a Hindu face in the Cabinet hailing from the CM’s home district Patiala, the rest of the Cabinet ministers are Sikhs. .

State chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal conducted the ceremony attended by a host of prominent leaders, dignitaries, besides family members, friends and relatives of Amarinder Singh and his ministerial colleagues.

Congress leaders hailed the change of guard in Punjab as a historic moment that will “transform the state’s fortunes and revive its pristine glory.”

Out of the 5 states that went to the polls recently, Punjab is the only state where the Congress has its chief minister.