Punjab: Not Deputy CM, Sidhu given Local Government, Tourism portfolios; Manpreet Badal gets Finance

Captain Amarinder Singh took charge as the Punjab Chief Minister on Thursday. Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal and Charanjit Channi were among the other Congress MLAs who took oath as ministers along with him.

Sidhu was given the portfolio of Local Government and Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Archives and Museum, senior leader Brahm Mohindra was given the Health department while Manpreet Singh Badal got Finance, Planning and Employment Generation. Sidhu expected to be made the Deputy Chief Minister and is not likely to be pleased with his portfolios.

Amarinder Singh took over as the 29th Chief Minister of Punjab. Governor VP Singh Badnore administered the oath of office and secrecy to Captain and nine members of his Cabinet at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. 

Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and former union minister Ambika Soni were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Captain Amarinder Singh assured that he would fulfill all the promises made in the Congress manifesto for the development of Punjab. "I will work on programmes mentioned in the manifesto from Monday. I will take up most of the issues in the first Cabinet meeting," he told ANI. 

The Congress secured 77 out of 117 seats in the state assembly polls. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 20 seats on its debut, emerging as the second largest party in the Punjab Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance fared the worst with 18 seats. 

With agency inputs.