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Newly elected Ludhiana West MLA Sanjeev Arora inducted in Punjab cabinet
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expands his cabinet with Sanjeev Arora as a minister. Arora, a first-time MLA, takes charge of industry, commerce, and NRI affairs.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has expanded his cabinet with the induction of newly elected Ludhiana West MLA Sanjeev Arora as a minister.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to the first-time MLA in a simple ceremony at the Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. Arora took the oath in Punjabi.
This marks the seventh reshuffle of the Bhagwant Mann cabinet in just over three years.
The swearing-in took place in the presence of the chief minister, several cabinet ministers, MLAs, government officers and Aam Aadmi Party leaders.
Arora, a businessman-turned-politician, who was a Rajya Sabha member for three years, has been sworn-in as a cabinet minister.
Arora is learnt to have been allocated the portfolios of industry and commerce and NRI affairs.
Kuldeep Dhaliwal, who previously held the NRI affairs portfolio, is reported to have resigned, as the only department under his charge was allotted to Arora. However, there was no official confirmation of his resignation.
He won the Ludhiana West assembly seat on June 23 by defeating his nearest Congress rival by 10,637 votes and then resigned from the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday.
With his induction, there are now 17 ministers, including chief minister Mann, in the Punjab cabinet, which can have 18 ministers.
