2 more ministers inducted in Punjab Cabinet expansion

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Wednesday expanded its Cabinet by inducting two party legislators Balkar Singh and Gurmeet Singh Khudian as ministers.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath to them at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. Soon after the ceremony, Balkar Singh, 60, was allocated the local government portfolio, besides parliamentary affairs charge, earlier held by Inderbir Singh Nijjar who quit the Cabinet on Tuesday.

Khudian, 60, was allocated agriculture, farmers’ welfare, animal husbandry and dairy development and food processing portfolio. While Singh is an MLA from Kartarpur seat in Jalandhar, Khudian is from Lambi seat in Muktsar. Khudian hogged the limelight for defeating Akali patriarch and five-time CM Parkash Singh Badal in the the 2022 election.

Meanwhile, in the portfolios’ reshuffle, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal would now hold only NRIs affairs and administrative reforms departments. Mann who has divested Dhaliwal of rural development and panchayati raj departments has given them to Laljit Singh Bhullar in addition to the transport department. The water resources, mines and geology minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has been allocated conservation of land and water departments in addition to the departments already held by him.

For the record, Nijjar was the third minister to lose his berth as earlier Dr Vijay Singla and Fauja Singh Sarari had to resign following corruption charges.

Notably, it was the third Cabinet expansion since March 16, 2022, when Mann took over as the chief minister. While five legislators were inducted in July 2022, one more was inducted in January this year.

With this expansion, the total strength of the Cabinet has now increased to 16 including the chief minister while there are a total 18 berths in Cabinet as per the constitutional cap for 15% of the number of members of assembly.