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‘Will continue to work with you for betterment of people’: PM Modi congratulates new Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi
Channi was on Monday sworn-in as the 16th chief minister of Punjab after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned last Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Charanjit Singh Channi after the latter was sworn-in as the 16th chief minister of Punjab. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said that the Union government will continue to work with the border state’s new government for the betterment of the people.
Also Read | Charanjit Singh Channi takes oath as next Punjab chief minister
“Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji on being sworn-in as Punjab’s chief minister. Will continue to work with the Punjab government for the betterment of the people of Punjab,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted, congratulating the new chief minister who was administered oath of office at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh a little after 11am.
Along with Channi, two deputy CMs, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni, were also sworn-in.
Also Read | Sukhjinder Randhawa, OP Soni sworn in as Punjab deputy CMs
On Sunday, Channi, who is fifty-eight years old, was elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Punjab, paving the way for him to become the next chief minister of the northern state, which is likely to go to polls early next year.
Also Read | A grassroots leader who rose through the ranks rapidly
A three-term and sitting MLA from the Chamkaur Sahib assembly constituency, Channi is the first member from Punjab's Dalit community to be elected to the state's top post. Under Captain Amarinder Singh, who resigned last Saturday, he held the portfolio of technical education and industrial training. Channi has also been the leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly.
The Congress currently has 80 legislators in the 117-member assembly. In 2017, the party returned to power here by convincingly defeating the-then ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine.
