Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expanded the state's cabinet by adding five AAP MLAs. This is the first cabinet expansion since the Aam Aadmi Party came into power.
On Monday, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs at Guru Nanak Dev Auditorium of Punjab Raj Bhawan. Except for two-time Sunam MLA Aman Arora, four other legislators - Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar (Amritsar South seat), Fauja Singh Sarari (Guru Har Sahai), Chetan Singh Jourmajra (Samana), and Anmol Gagan Mann (Kharar) are first-timers.
Arora is the Co-President of the Punjab state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party. He was elected as an MLA in the March 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election by a record 30,307 votes. Anmol Gagan Mann is the second woman who became the cabinet minister in the APP Punjab government. Four MLAs are from the Malwa region and one is from Majha.
Inderbir Singh Nijjaris is the President of Chief Khalsa Diwan, a 117-year-old Sikh organisation. Fauja Singh Sarari is a cop-turned politician who defeated Akali leader Vardev Singh alias Noni Mann by nearly 11,000 votes. Anmol Gagan Mann, a singer from Mansa defeated Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Ranjit Singh Gill by a margin of 37,885 votes. Chetan Singh Jouramajra is a farmer who was a social activist before entering politics in 2013.
With the induction of five more ministers, the Mann-led cabinet has 15 members now. 10 MLAs were inducted in March when the AAP formed the government after winning assembly polls. Eight of them were first-timers. In May, Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked for corruption.
There are 18 seats in the cabinet including the CM.