Punjab Cabinet expansion on Monday; Fauja Singh Sarari, Anmol Gagan Mann, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar to be inducted along with two others
Chandigarh, July 3
With Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expanding his cabinet on July 4, the names of Guru Harsahai MLA Fauja Singh Sarari, Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Mann and Amritsar South MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar have been confirmed for induction into the Cabinet. A total of five MLAs are expected to be included into the Cabinet.
According to sources, the state government has sent a letter to Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit seeking time for the oath-taking ceremony on Monday evening. It will be the first cabinet expansion of the Bhagwant Mann-led government more than three months after the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power in Punjab.
Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar was earlier appointed pro tem speaker immediately after the government was formed, before Kultar Singh Sandhwan was sworn in as Speaker.
Sources said Fauja Singh has been considered for Minister’s post because he is a prominent leader from the Rai Sikh community.
Anmol Gagan Mann is a youth leader and before the Punjab Assembly election, she had even created a Kejriwal anthem. Bhagwant Mann had campaigned for her aggressively in Kharar, along with AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, Fauja Singh Sarari has also released a video thanking AAP leadership for considering him for the cabinet, saying he got an unexpected call today morning asking him to be present for Cabinet expansion.
The other two names doing the rounds for inclusion into the Cabinet include Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Sunam MLA Aman Arora.
With the induction of five more ministers, the strength of the Mann-led cabinet will reach 15, including the chief minister.
It may be mentioned that there are nine ministers in the Cabinet now, besides the Chief Minister. One minister — Dr Vijay Singla — was ousted on corruption charges. As a result, eight posts in the Cabinet are lying vacant. All posts may not be filled immediately, say the party sources.
The Aam Aadmi Party had stormed to power by bagging 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the state assembly polls.
