The members of the Punjab cabinet have reportedly been finalised after discussions with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He had been summoned to Delhi by the Congress high command to discuss the expansion of his new Cabinet. According to reports, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is slated to meet with the Governor on Saturday afternoon.
As per a PTI report quoting sources, some of the ministers in the previous Amarinder Singh government are likely to be dropped. Channi had met with Gandhi hours hours after he had returned from the national capital. Reportedly hectic deliberations were on between Channi and top party leaders to decide the names of ministers in the Punjab's Cabinet.
Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar who narrowly missed out on succeeding Amarinder Singh had also met with Gandhi, prompting speculation that he may be rehabilitated with some post. Jakhar had also been frontrunner for the post of the Congress Legislature Party leader.
The names of Pargat Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Surjit Dhiman, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Kuljit Singh Nagra are doing the rounds. Pargat Singh, considered close to Sidhu, is at present the Punjab Congress general secretary and Gilzian is a working president of the party's state unit.
There is a speculation that Amarinder Singh's staunch loyalists--Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who is the sports minister, and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, who is the social justice empowerment minister--may be dropped from the cabinet.
Further details awaited.
