On Sunday (19 September), The Congress central leadership declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab.
The Punjab CM Channi was the Technical Educational and Industrial Training Minister in the outgoing Amarinder Singh Cabinet. He is a three-time MLA from Chamkaur Sahib Constituency.
The Congress MLA was also a hard critic of Singh for some time. As per the IANS report, Channi served as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly during the Prakash Singh Badal-led Akal-BJP government from the year 2015 to 2016.
Announcing the new CM, Harish Rawat the Congress Punjab in charge, tweeted, “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.”
According to the PTI sources, Channi was accompanied by the party’s central observers Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary, who met Governor Banwarilal Purohit to stake claim to form the new Government in Punjab.
Amarinder Singh said he hopes that the Current Chief Minister of Punjab is able to keep Punjab safe.
Singh further said, “My best wishes to Charanjit Singh Channi. I hope he’s able to keep the border state of Punjab safe and protect our people from the growing security threat from across the border.”
Channi’s name as the next Punjab CM came a few hours after the reports of another outgoing minister- Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa replacing captain were rife. However, After Charanjit Channi was confirmed as Singh’s successor. Randhawa said, “I welcome the decision to the party high command.”