Congress MLA Charanjit Singh Channi is slated to take the oath as the new Chief Minister of Punjab today, on September 20 at 11 am. The outgoing CM Captain Amarinder Singh, on September 18, stepped down from the post and extended his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to congratulate Channi on the new responsibility. “Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji for the new responsibility. We must continue to fulfil the promises made to the people of Punjab. Their trust is of paramount importance,” his tweet read.
Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji for the new responsibility.
We must continue to fulfill the promises made to the people of Punjab. Their trust is of paramount importance.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 19, 2021
Earlier on September 19, the in-charge of Congress party in Punjab Harish Rawat said that Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party and will take over as next Chief Minister of the state. Announcing this he tweeted, “It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Sh. Charanjit Singh Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab.”
It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Sh. #CharanjitSinghChanni has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab.@INCIndia @RahulGandhi @INCPunjab pic.twitter.com/iboTOvavPd
— Harish Rawat (@harishrawatcmuk) September 19, 2021
The Technical Education Miniter of Punjab in the cabinet of the outgoing CM Capt. Amarinder Singh, Channi is a Dalit leader who was first elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Chamkaur Sahib Consistency in 2007. Later, he was elected to the assembly again in 2012 and in 2017 as well. In 2015, he was made the Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha. While in 2017, he was appointed as the Minister for Technical Education and Industrial Training, Employment Generation and also Science and Technology in the Punjab cabinet.
As per the Punjab government’s official website, Channi served as Municipal Councillor thrice and was later made the President of Municipal Council Kharar for a two-term.
The stepping down of Capt. Amarinder Singh from the post of CM and the appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi as the new CM, all these developments came ahead of Punjab Assembly polls in 2022.