In a combination of old and new coupled with young and experienced, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is set to conduct the first expansion of his Cabinet on Monday. Currently having nine Ministers in his Council of Ministers, Mann is expected to induct five-six new faces in an oath-taking ceremony, scheduled to be held at Punjab Raj Bhawan at 5 pm.
Even though the State Government is yet to officially hand over to the Governor Banwari Lal Purohit the list of the “Ministers” who would take the oath of office and secrecy on Monday morning, the names of one two-time MLA Aman Arora along with the four first-timers are doing the rounds.
Other than Sunam’s two-time firebrand leader Aman Arora, the names of singer-turned-Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Mann, Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Amritsar South MLA Dr Inderbir Nijjar, Guru Har Sahai MLA and Rai Sikh leader Fauja Singh Sarari are doing the rounds for the ministerial berths.
Sources maintained that along with the Cabinet expansion, Mann would also reshuffle the portfolios, with some of the “non-performing” Ministers set to lose important Ministries. Currently, Bhagwant Mann is holding 29 portfolios.
Mann had first inducted 10 Ministers in his 11-member Cabinet, led by him. However, taking strong stand against corruption, Mann expelled his Health Minister Dr Vijay Singla. As of now, Punjab Cabinet has nine Ministers. With the induction of five-six more, the strength would increase to 15-16, with two-three berths likely to remain vacated.
Sources maintained that for now, Mann will not be filling all the vacant berths and will fill a few vacancies only. Another expansion may take place later to fill those posts.
In terms of Punjab’s three regions, Cabinet has four ministers from Malwa including Mann himself, four from Majha, and just one from Doaba. It is to be seen if Mann would give more representation to Doaba region in his Cabinet expansion.
“An attempt would be made to balance the old and new. The same rule was followed during the assembly elections while allotting the tickets. Experienced and senior leaders were also inducted, while also giving a chance to the youth,” an AAP leader told The Pioneer.
AAP leader maintained that the names were decided upon after a detailed analysis of the ground realities. Not wishing to be named, AAP leader maintained that it was felt the there was a feeling of resentment among the senior MLAs, those who have been elected twice, as the first Cabinet induction had just two two-time MLAs — Harpal Singh Cheemaand Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while all first-timers were given the place.
It has been learnt that the decision to expand the Cabinet came in the wake of party’s shocking defeat in the recently-concluded Sangrur parliamentary byelection. The defeat had come at a time when the ruling AAP was being targeted from all quarters over the issue of deteriorating law and order, with questions being raised on comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann’s capabilities to lead the State.
Moreover, during Sangrur bypolls, an intense wave of discontentment and resentment was felt among the party workers and electorates which has emerged as the major reason for party’s defeat.
The Cabinet expansion came after Bhagwant Mann’s meeting with AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi on Friday. During the meeting, the two leaders held detailed discussion on the Cabinet expansion, in the presence of Punjab party affairs co-in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha.
Party’s several two-time MLAs have been lobbying to secure a berth for themselves. The party had rejected them earlier during the cabinet formation in March. Those second-time MLAs in the race for the Cabinet berth are Prof Balinder Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Principal Budh Ram, among others.
The party has already appointed two-time MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan and jai Kishan Rouri as Punjab Vidhan Sbaha’s Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
After securing just 20 seats in 2017 elections, the Aam Aadmi Party had stormed to power by bagging 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly during the state polls conducted in February this year.