Charanjit Singh Channi is Punjab’s new chief minister

Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi will be the new chief minister of Punjab, the party announced on Sunday.

“It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Charanjit Singh Channihas been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab,” Congress General Secretary Harish Rawat tweeted.

Channi is the first Dalit leader to be selected as chief minister of the state.

Punjab was thrown into a crisis just months before the Assembly polls with Amarinder Singh resigning from the chief minister’s post on Saturday.

Singh stepped down from the top post following a bitter feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed the Congress’ chief in Punjab in July.

Earlier in the day, media reports said that Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was likely to be named as the new chief minister. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Sidhu and the party’s Lok Sabha MP Ravneet Singh Bittu were reported to be among the contenders for the chief minister’s post.

On Sunday morning, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni said she was offered the position but she turned it down saying that Punjab should have a Sikh chief minister, ANI reported.

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