Punjab Cabinet Expansion Today, Arvind Kejriwal Likely To Be Present

Chandigarh:

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is set to expand its Cabinet on Wednesday with the induction of MLAs Balkar Singh and Gurmeet Singh Khudian as ministers, officials said.

A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office also said that Local Government Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar has tendered his resignation from the Council of Ministers.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has forwarded the resignation to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit for acceptance, the official said.

In a communique to the governor, Mann impressed upon him to accept the resignation of Nijjar, who resigned on personal grounds, he added.

The chief minister has proposed the names of Balkar Singh, MLA from Kartarpur in Jalandhar, and Gurmeet Singh Khudian, MLA from Lambi seat in Muktsar, to be inducted as cabinet ministers, the officials said.

Mann requested the governor to accord his approval to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at 11 am on Wednesday at the Punjab Raj Bhavan.

At present, the strength of the Mann-led cabinet is 15, including the chief minister. There are a total of 18 berths in the cabinet.

In July 2022, the Bhagwant Mann government carried out its first cabinet expansion, inducting five party legislators.

In January this year, senior AAP leader and Patiala Rural MLA Dr Balbir Singh was sworn-in as cabinet minister, after Fauja Singh Sarari tendered his resignation.

Mann will on Wednesday host a dinner at his official residence here in which Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also be present, party sources said.

Mr Kejriwal will be meeting ministers, party MLAs and MPs, and is likely to apprise them of the “ordinance outreach” of the party.

The Aam Aadmi Party is seeking the support of political parties against the Centre’s ordinance on the Delhi services matter.

The AAP is locked in a bitter tussle with the BJP-led Centre since the Union government promulgated an Ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority, which will handle the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)