Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday took oath as the new chief minister of Punjab. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
Channi was elected the leader of Congress Legislature Party after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned following a revolt by party MLAs.
Channi is Punjab's first Dalit-Sikh chief minister.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Saini took oaths as deputy CMs alongwith the chief minister.
Channi’s elevation to the top post comes ahead of the 2022 state assembly elections. By choosing Channi for the post of the CM, Congress is clearly targeting the Dalits community that constitutes an estimated 31 per cent of the state's population.
Charanjit Channi is a three-time MLA from Rupnagar's Chamkaur Sahib. He was a mnistr in the Amarinder Singh Cabinet