Ten Cabinet ministers, including eight first-time legislators, were inducted in the Bhagwant Mann government on Saturday.
The Governor of Punjab, Banwarilal Purohit, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted Cabinet ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Punjab Raj Bhawan.
The Cabinet ministers who were sworn in at simple but impressive ceremony in the newly constructed Guru Nanak Dev auditorium within the complex of Punjab Raj Bhawan included Harpal Singh Cheema (MLA from Dirba), Dr Baljit Kaur (MLA from Malout), Harbhajan Singh (MLA from Jandiala), Dr Vijay Singla (MLA from Mansa), Lal Chand (MLA from Bhoa), Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (MLA from Barnala), Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (MLA from Ajnala), Laljit Singh Bhullar (MLA from Patti), Bram Shanker Jimpa (MLA from Hoshiarpur) and Harjot Singh Bains (MLA from Sri Anandpur Sahib).
Of these only Cheema and Hayer have been re-elected as Members of Legislative Assembly. They both were MLAs in the previous Assembly as well.
Those present at the swearing-in included Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya besides Pro tem Speaker Punjab Assembly Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. This apart, several newly elected AAP MLAs, senior party leaders, workers and volunteers from Punjab attended the ceremony. The function was also attended by the senior officers of state civil and police administration besides family members, relatives and friends of the newly sworn in Cabinet ministers.