Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab government, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, has undergone its third cabinet reshuffle in two and a half years. In this latest reshuffle, four old ministers have been dropped, while five new MLAs have been given positions in the cabinet.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to five new ministers – Tarunpreet Singh, Barinder Goyal, and Hardeep Mundia at the Raj Bhavan today. Earlier on Sunday, four ministers were removed from the cabinet. In the midst of the reshuffle, CM Bhagwant Mann also removed his trusted OSD Omkar Singh, though the reason for this change is not clear.
New Cabinet Portfolio List
In the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, AAP managed to win only 3 out of 13 seats. The reshuffle in the cabinet is being linked to this. 18 ministers can be made in Punjab. After swearing in 5 new MLAs, the number of ministers will go up to 16.
Out of the five new ministers, four have been adjusted in place of old ministers, while the fifth minister has been adjusted in place of Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. After Gurmeet Hayer became an MP, his ministerial post was lying vacant.