Punjab : Bhagwant Mann to reshuffle Cabinet today, four ministers face axe, five new faces to take oath

While determination was nary authoritative announcement connected the reshuffle, aggregate sources wrong the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and successful the authorities said that 4 ministers person submitted their resignation letters. They see Chetan Singh Jouramajra, who held the nationalist relations, mining and horticulture portfolios, Bram Shankar Jimpa (revenue), Balkar Singh (local bodies) and Anmol Gagan Mann (tourism).

Those apt to beryllium inducted see Lehra MLA Barinder Kumar Goyal, Hardeep Singh Mundian (Sahnewal), Dr Ravjot Singh (Sham Chaurasi), Tarunpreet Singh Sond (Khanna) and Mohinder Bhagat (Jalandhar).

The Punjab Cabinet, including the main minister, tin person a maximum of 18 members. Currently, it has 3 vacancies. After Monday’s reshuffle, the Cabinet volition person 16 ministers.

This volition beryllium the 4th reshuffle of the two-and-a-half twelvemonth aged Mann authorities successful Punjab, and comes days aft the enactment carried retired a akin workout successful Delhi aft AAP nationalist convener Arvind Kejriwal was released from the jailhouse upon being granted bail by the Supreme Court successful the excise argumentation case.

Sources said Balkar Singh’s ouster from the Cabinet was waiting to hap particularly aft helium was caught successful a contention during Lok Sabha elections erstwhile a sleazy video, purported to beryllium of the minister, had surfaced.

Anmol Gagan Maan, 1 of the lone 2 pistillate ministers successful the Cabinet, meantime is facing immense anti-incumbency successful her constituency Kharar. Only precocious she had deed headlines for saying publically that immoderate officials were taking bribes successful her name.

Sources said, Jouramajra, considered to beryllium adjacent to CM, has not taken his ouster kindly and was trying till precocious successful the evening to not fto spell of his berth. He has been seeking to cognize the crushed down his ouster.

The removal of Jimpa, however, has travel arsenic a surprise, adjacent to the AAP leaders. Jimpa was considered a person who performed arsenic a curate and remained distant from immoderate controversy.

Among the caller inductees, it is learnt that Barinder Goyal is being fixed a berth to springiness practice to the Bania community. Mann’s Cabinet had initially fixed practice to the assemblage by inducting Dr Vijay Singla. However, aft Singla was sacked arsenic wellness curate and jailed connected corruption charges, the Bania assemblage had been raising questions.

Goyal is simply a first-time MLA and had emerged arsenic a elephantine slayer successful 2022 authorities polls defeating five-time Lehra MLA and erstwhile CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Congress), and different five-time MLA and erstwhile concern curate Parminder Singh Dhindsa.

Tarunpreet Sond, considered a young Turk, excessively is simply a archetypal clip MLA and had won from Khanna by defeating past Industries Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli. It was a broad triumph for Sond, a people 12 postgraduate arsenic Kotli — a grandson of erstwhile main curate Beant Singh — mislaid his information deposit. Prior to 2022 polls, Kotli had won from Khanna Khanna successful 2012 and 2017.

Mundian is simply a legislature turncoat who had joined the AAP conscionable months earlier the 2022 Assembly polls. He was successful the quality for the close reasons aft inaugurating a sewing instrumentality grooming centre astatine his bureau wherever astir 100 girls and women are being fixed grooming escaped cost.

In Ravjot Singh, the Cabinet volition get its 3rd doc — the different 2 being Dr Baljit Kaur and Dr Balbir Singh. An MD successful medicine from PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Ravjot excessively is simply a archetypal clip MLA — helium had unsuccessfully contested 2017 Assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha polls arsenic AAP candidate. During the 2022 polls, helium had listed eradication of cause maltreatment arsenic his apical priority.

Bhagat’s induction was a fixed considering that CM Mann had himself announced that if helium wins the byelection from Jalandhar (West), helium would beryllium accommodated successful the Council of Ministers.

Both Dr Ravjot and Bhagat are from Scheduled Caste community. In the existent Cabinet, Mann had 4 SC members, and 11 from the wide category. One SC member, Balkar Singh, is being dropped. With the induction of Dr Ravjot and Bhagat, the Cabinet volition present person 5 SC ministers.

The different Cabinemt mebers from SC assemblage see Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur, and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.

This is the fourt furniture enlargement being carried retired by CM Mann. On July 4, 2022, helium had inducted Aman Arora, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Fauja Singh Sarari, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and , Anmol Gagan Maan arsenic ministers. Later, connected January 7, 2023, Sarari resigned and Dr Balbir Singh was inducted arsenic wellness minister.

Four months later, connected May 31, 2023, Nijjar was dropped from the Cabinet and Balkar Singh and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian were sworn successful arsenic ministers.