E-Paper
The six new faces in Punjab cabinet and the comeback man
Charanjit Singh Channi, who took over as Punjab CM along with two deputies recently, inducted six new faces in cabinet and brought back a former minister earlier dropped over corruption charges
SANGAT SINGH GILZIAN (68)
Constituency: Urmar
The three-time legislator from the Urmar assembly segment in the Doaba region has had quite a long political journey, rising from a sarpanch to minister. Gilzian, who belongs to the Lubana community, was the first to publicly oppose then chief minister Capt Amarinder by quitting all party posts over lack of representation to other backward classes (OBCs) in the sate cabinet and remained one of his most vocal critics throughout. Gilzian was appointed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) working president two months ago. He had met Rahul and requested for his induction in the cabinet.
PARGAT SINGH (57)
Constituency: Jalandhar Cantt
The two-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantt and former India hockey captain is general secretary (organisation) of the Punjab Congress. A confidant of former cricketer and state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu, Pargat kept attacking the erstwhile chief minister Amarinder Singh over alleged gaps in governance. Pargat was director, sports, when he was persuaded by Akalis to take the political plunge. He won the election on Shiromani Akali Dal ticket but joined the Congress before the 2017 assembly elections. The biggest strength of Pargat, seen as the “voice of reason” in Sidhu’s team, is his levelheadedness.
RANA GURJIT SINGH (69)
Constituency: Kapurthala
The businessman-turned-politician represents the Kapurthala assembly segment. The three-time MLA was power and irrigation minister in the Amarinder Singh-led government for 10 months but was forced to resign after his name figured in a sand mine auction controversy. Rana was considered close to former chief minister Amarinder Singh and has had access to several central leaders of the Congress all along. He was the richest candidate in the 2017 state assembly elections. The Kapurthala MLA has also represented the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency from 2004 to 2009.
AMRINDER SINGH RAJA WARRING (43)
Constituency: Gidderbaha
Known for being vocal on different issues, the two-time MLA was initially handpicked by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Warring, who has remained national president of the Youth Congress, won for two consecutive terms in 2012 and 2017 from Gidderbaha, earlier an Akali stronghold that was represented by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for five terms and Manpreet Singh Badal four times.
In 2012, he defeated Manpreet, then a Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) candidate. Warring unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Bathinda against Harsimrat Kaur Badal. He has questioned Manpreet’s functioning as finance minister and is considered close to state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
RAJ KUMAR VERKA (58)
Constituency: Amritsar West (reserved)
The three-time MLA has been representing the Amritsar West (reserved) constituency since 2012. Verka, who was a strong contender for a ministerial berth when the Congress led by Capt Amarinder Singh came to power in 2017, was made chairman of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in 2019 with a cabinet rank.
Also, he remained vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes from 2010 to 2016. He started his political career in 2002 when he won from the Verka assembly constituency. He, however, lost in the 2007 assembly polls and shifted to the Amritsar West segment in 2012.
GURKIRAT SINGH KOTLI (47)
Constituency: Khanna
Hailing from a staunch Congress family, Gurkirat Singh Kotli is grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. His father Tej Parkash Singh remained transport minister in the Congress government in the state from 2002 to 2007.
Kotli is two-time MLA from the Khanna constituency and heads the Vidhan Sabha’s petitions committee. A loyalist of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Kotli shifted towards Navjot Singh Sidhu when the high command appointed the latter as the state Congress president. In 2019, he opposed the Centre’s move to commute death sentence of his grandfather’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana.
RANDEEP SINGH NABHA (54)
Constituency: Amloh
Nabha, who has been a legislator for four consecutive terms, represents the Amloh constituency since 2012. He won from the Nabha constituency, where he hails from, in 2002 and 2007.
He shifted to the Amloh segment after Nabha was declared a reserved seat due to delimitation. Son of former revenue minister Gurdarshan Singh, Randeep is a keen golfer and was in race for cabinet berth since the Congress formed government in 2017. Even as he has had good terms with Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister Preneet Kaur, Randeep could not get into the good books of former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
