In Chandigarh, Punjab, the Bhagwant Mann government on Wednesday expanded its cabinet and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Balkar Singh took oath as new ministers in Punjab. Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered him the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan here.
Gurmeet Singh Khudian defeated former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in his stronghold
Gurmeet Singh Khudian is the MLA from Lambi seat of Muktsar. In the Punjab assembly elections held in 2022, he defeated five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in his stronghold by a margin of 11,396 votes. Balkar Singh is the MLA from Kartarpur reserved seat in Jalandhar. Singh is a former police officer. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2021 after retiring from the Punjab Police. Singh became MLA for the first time in the election.
Third cabinet expansion of Bhagwant Mann government
This is the third cabinet expansion of the 14-month-old Mann-led government in Punjab. The Bhagwant Mann government expanded its first cabinet in July 2022, in which five MLAs of the party were made ministers. In January this year, senior AAP leader and MLA from Patiala Rural Dr. Balbir Singh was made a minister. He was made a minister after the resignation of Fauja Singh Sarari.