Newly appointed Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi will hold a meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi later in the day to discuss the expansion of his cabinet.
The meeting will be held at Gandhi’s residence in Delhi in the presence of top party functionaries, according to news agency ANI.
Earlier, it was reported Channi had been called to the national capital to hold talks with the party's central leadership over the issue.
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The central leaders, including Rahul, All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat among others, held deliberations on the new ministry on Thursday.
Channi was sworn in as the chief minister on Monday along with his deputies Brahm Mohindra and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Gandhi had attended the oath-taking ceremony.
Channi’s appointment for the top job came after Amarinder Singh put in his papers last week citing months of humiliation. The ruling camp has been struggling with dissent and rebellion over power-sharing issues between Singh and state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
{{/usCountry}}Channi’s appointment for the top job came after Amarinder Singh put in his papers last week citing months of humiliation. The ruling camp has been struggling with dissent and rebellion over power-sharing issues between Singh and state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
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According to reports, Singh’s close aides are likely to be dropped from the cabinet, while five new faces may make their place in the ministry.
On Tuesday, Channi, his two deputies and Sidhu had come to Delhi to meet Venugopal, Rawat and two central observers Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary with the names of probables for induction into the ministry. At the time, Gandhi was in Shimla on a private visit.
The state has already seen a major bureaucratic reshuffle since Singh's exit, including the transfer of nine IAS and two PCS officers and posting of three more officers in the new chief minister’s office.