Punjab Cabinet Expansion: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi, both deputy chief minister and state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the state cabinet with the party's top leadership.
Sources aware of the developments said that the team will meet Congress General Secretary Harish Rawat in Delhi. Rawat is in-charge of the Punjab affairs of the Congress .
State Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu shared a picture of himself near the charter plane with Channi and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on twitter. Sidhu tweeted, "In line of duty."
Channi, Randhawa and another deputy chief minister O P Soni were sworn in as office and secrecy on Monday. Two days earlier, on Saturday, the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned.
The mejor reshuffle and change in top posts have come at the time when State Assembly Elections are due in less then five months .
Channi was elected leader of the legislature party in Punjab by the Congress after much consideration and advice. With this, Randhawa and Soni were elected as deputy chief ministers . Both jaats are Sikhs and Hindus .
Sources said that new faces may be included in the cabinet. The names of these candidates will be discussed in the Delhi meeting. There are indications that leaders who stand with Sidhu in the power struggle with the captain may get a seat in the cabinet.
Punjab Cabinet Expansion: Probable Names
Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Madan Lal Jalalpur, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Pargat Singh and Sangat Singh Gilzian are among those whose name are in list.
Pargat Singh is considered close to Sidhu, who is currently the General Secretary of the Punjab Congress and Gilziyan is the executive chairman of the State Unit of the Party . There is speculation that Captain's confidants Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot may remain in the cabinet . Sodhi was the sports minister while dharamsot was the minister of social justice .
Channi himself was in the Punjab cabinet who constantly targeted Amarinder Singh, which has made it clear that he belongs to the Sidhu party. Ahead of Channi's swearing-in ceremony, there was a controversy on Monday when Congress Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said that the upcoming assembly elections would be contested under Sidhu's leadership.
Former Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar termed Rawat's statement as "shocking" and said his statement was a "deprecation " to the chief minister's authority . The Congress settled the controversy and said that both Channi and Sidhu would lead the party in the next election.