Other States - Punjab   

Sekhwan inducted into Badal Ministry

Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

New Entrant: Punjab Governor Gen. (Retd.) S. F. Rodrigues administering the oath of office and secrecy to Sewa Singh Sekhwan at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh on Monday.

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Sewa Singh Sekhwan was inducted into the Parkash Singh Badal Council of Ministers in Punjab on Monday, taking its strength to 18.

Governor S. F. Rodrigues administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Sekhwan at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhavan here in the presence of the Chief Minister and other State leaders.

Mr. Sekhwan, who had won the Assembly by-election from Kahnuwan this past August, fills the slot that fell vacant following the death of Cooperation Minister Kanwaljit Singh in a road accident.

Fifty-nine-year-old Mr. Sekhwan, who took the oath in Punjabi, was a Cabinet Minister in the previous Akali-BJP Government from 1997 to 2002.

He was handpicked by Mr. Badal over his son Sukhbir’s brother-in-law Bikramjit Singh Majithia, party sources said.

Mr. Badal said Mr. Sekhwan would be allocated his portfolio soon and sources said he might get one of the departments held by the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister.

With Mr. Sekhwan’s induction, Gurdaspur district has three representatives in the Cabinet now.

Mr. Sekhwan first got elected as MLA in 1997 from Kahnuwan and was given the charge of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Public Relations Minister in the Badal Government.

He is a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the supreme Sikh body, besides being a member of the core committee of the Political Affairs Committee and the working committee of the Akali Dal. - PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Punjab Govt. to review 18 IT SEZ projects
Sekhwan inducted into Badal Ministry

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu