Charanjit Singh Channi takes oath as 16th Punjab Chief Minister, Randhawa and OP Soni sworn in as Deputy CMs

New Punjab Chief Minister: Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi took oath as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab at the Raj Bhawan on September 20, 2021. He was administered the oath of office by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

Congress MLA Charanjit Singh Channi takes oath as Punjab CM at Raj Bhawan pic.twitter.com/W68LmKIl70

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2021

Two other Congress MLAs,  Sukhjinder S Randhawa and OP Soni were sworn in as deputy Chief Ministers of Punjab.  Channi is the first Dalit to hold the post of Punjab Chief Minister. 

Chandigarh | Congress leader OP Soni takes oath as Punjab minister pic.twitter.com/8lS4RgKI7w

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2021

Addressing his first press conference in Chandigarh after being sworn in,  Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi got emotional and said, "Congress has made a common man the chief minister."

#WATCH Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi gets emotional while addressing his first press conference in Chandigarh says "Congress has made a common man the chief minister." pic.twitter.com/4QNV990OR7

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2021

Charanjit Singh Channi was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Punjab Congress Legislature Party on September 19th. This was confirmed by a tweet from senior Congress leader Harish Rawat, which finally put a rest to all speculations surrounding the Punjab CM post. 

Rawat tweeted saying, "it gives me immense pleasure to announce that 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 announcement came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation from the post, saying that he felt humiliated after the way the talks with Congress high command transpired. 

Why did Capt Amarinder Singh resign as Punjab CM, Know here

Charanjit Singh Channi's name as the next Punjab CM came as a surprise to many, as Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was touted to be the frontrunner for the Punjab CM post. However, the MLA had sought time for a meeting with Governor Banwarilal Purohit. 

Speaking after the announcement of Charanjit Singh Channi as new Punjab Chief Minister, ukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, "It's high command's decision..., I welcome it. Channi is like my younger brother...I am not at all disappointed."

It's high command's decision..., I welcome it. Channi is like my younger brother...I am not at all disappointed...: Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, after announcement of Charanjit Singh Channi as new Punjab Chief Minister pic.twitter.com/jHbAHapQEH

— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2021

Who is Charanjit Singh Channi? Know all about him!

•Charanjit Singh Channi will be the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab. His name was announced for the post on September 19, 2021, India after the resignation of Capt. Amrinder Singh.

•Charanjit Singh Channi is a three-time Congress MLA from Chamkaur Sahib Assembly Constituency. 

•He had served as the leader of opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2016. 

•He was appointed as a cabinet minister in March 2017 in Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh's cabinet at the age of 47 years.

•He was given the post of Minister of "Technical Education & Industrial Training" in the state cabinet. 

About Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

•Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, representing Dera Baba Nanak constituency. 

•He was born in Dharowali village, Dera Baba Nanak tehsil in Gurdaspur district and his father was Santokh Singh, who was one of the most senior congress leaders of his time and had served as the Punjab Congress Chief twice. 

•Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had won his first Punjab Legislative Assembly elections from Fatehgarh Churian seat in 2002, defeating Akali dal's Nirmal Singh Kahlon.

•He contested the 2012 state assembly elections from new constituency Dera Baba Nanak. He was among the 42 Congress MLAs who had submitted their resignation in protest of a judgement by the Supreme Court of India that had ruled Punjab's termination of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) water canal as unconstitutional.

About OP Soni

•Om Parkash Soni is a Congress MLA from Amritsar Central. He was elected as an MLA for the first time from Amritsar West in 1997 as an independent candidate. He was then re-elected from the constituency in 2002 Punjab State Assembly Elections. 

•He then contested on behalf of the Congress in 2007, in 2012 he successfully contested from Amritsar Central seat.  He was again elected from Amritsar Central in the March 2017 elections, defeatin BJP's Tarun Chugh by a margin of 21,116 votes.

•He was made a cabinet minister in April 2018 and was given the charge of School Education department.