Chandigarh, September 20: Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Punjab on Monday at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh while  Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni took oath as Punjab Deputy Chief Ministers. Channi is now Punjab's 16th Chief Minister of the state. Notably, the 58-year-old is the first Dalit chief minister of the state. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu congratulated Charanjit Singh Channi on becoming the new Punjab Chief Minister. Who Is Charanjit Singh Channi? Here's All You Need to Know About The New Chief Minister of Punjab.

Channi was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab and is set to take over as next Chief Minister following Captain Amarinder Singh's resignation. The new Chief Minister and his expected new Cabinet come just months ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab. On Monday, ahead of his oath-taking ceremony, the chief minister-designate paid obeisance at Gurdwara Katalgarh Sahib at Chamkaur Sahib, his home constituency.

Channi is the three-time legislator from the Chamkaur Sahib Assembly constituency in the Rupnagar district. He had joined the Congress in 2012 and was holding the portfolios of Technical Education, Industrial Training, Employment Generation, and Tourism and Cultural Affairs in the outgoing cabinet.

On Sunday, Singh submitted his resignation to state Governor Banwarilal Purohit, following months of infighting between him and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. These development came months before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2021 11:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).