Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh took oath as CM of Punjab in a ceremony at Raj Bhavan. Top Congress leaders, inlcuding Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were present for the ceremony.
Nine other Congress leaders including Navjot Singh Sidhu took oath as cabinet ministers. The first time minister touched Amarinder Singh’s feet after taking oath as the cabinet minister.
The other ministers were Charanjit Channi, Aruna Chaudhary, Razia Sultana, Manpreet Singh Badal, Brahm Mohindra, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Tript Tajinder Bajwa and Rana Gurjit Singh.
A wax statue of Captain Amarinder Singh, who took oath as Punjab’s Chief Minister on Thursday for the second time, was unveiled at Ludhiana. The wax statute took three months to be completed and is a tribute to the 'Captain' for his good deeds.
Punjab chief minister-designate Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that he didn't want to appoint a deputy CM. Former cricketer and Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu was in the fray to become the deputy chief minister.
Singh is supposed to take oath as chief minister on Thursday in a ceremony, which will be attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.
"Having a deputy CM is not the Congress' way... Punjab has never had a deputy... because there is no point making power centres, which will be harmful for the state," he said in an interview to CNN News18.
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Talking about Sidhu, Singh said, “Which portfolio (he gets) is for later, but Sidhu will be a minister for sure. It is a commitment by our leadership in Delhi. He will be part of the government. (sic)
He said that he was impressed by Sidhu's performance in the elections and pointed out that Sidhu won by a huge margin of 42,000 votes.
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Amarinder Singh, who led the Congress to victory in Punjab after a gap of 10 years, will take oath as the state's 26th chief minister on Thursday morning in a simple ceremony.
Singh, who turned 75 on 11 March, the day state assembly results were declared, is likely to induct nine ministers initially, party sources said adding that the cabinet would be expanded later.
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The state can have a maximum of 18 ministers. The Congress has 77 MLAs in the assembly. Singh and members of his cabinet will be administered oath by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore at the Raj Bhavan.
The chief minister-designate has decided to go in for a simple swearing-in ceremony as an austerity measure.
"There will be nothing ostentatious about the oath-taking programme at the Raj Bhawan on Thursday morning, when Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore will administer the oath of office to Amarinder Singh as the new chief minister of the state," Punjab Congress had said.
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