As nine new Cabinet Ministers were inducted into the Punjab government on Saturday, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh denied any “unfairness” in their selection. He said that adequate representation had been given to all sections and regions in choosing the Ministers, with seniority being the key criteria.
Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Ministers. The Ministers who took oath include Om Parkash Soni, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Vijay Inder Singla, Sunder Sham Arora and Bharat Bhushan Ashu .
Ministers of State Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana were also elevated as Cabinet Ministers. With this, the Punjab Cabinet now has a total strength of 18.
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“The focus had been on striking a regional and caste balance, in order to ensure holistic development of the State,” said the Chief Minister, while responding to questions from journalists in an informal chat after the swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here.
To a question about certain MLAs having quit party posts after failing to find a berth in the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said all issues would be amicably resolved.