Third-term legislator Charanjit Singh Channi was on Monday sworn as Punjab chief minister, two days after Captain Amarinder Singh’s surprise exit from the post, five months ahead of the Assembly polls.

Channi (59), unanimously elected Congress legislature party leader on Sunday, was sworn in as the state’s 16th chief minister by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at a simple ceremony attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi among others.

A Jat Sikh, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, (62), the jails and cooperation minister in the outgoing cabinet of Captain Amarinder Singh and a Hindu leader OP Soni, who was medical education and research minister took oath as the two deputy Chief Ministers.

Governor had on Sunday invited Channi to take oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab on Monday. An official statement by the Governor’s House said Channi through his letter to the Governor Punjab Banwarilal Purohit, informed that in a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party held on 19 September, he was elected as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

With state Assembly polls scheduled in early 2022, the Congress is banking on Channi, a Sikh Dalit, for poll victory. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress had won 78 of the 117 seats.

The Dalits make up an estimated 31.9 per cent of Punjab’s overall population and backward classes constitute 18 per cent of the state’s population. Channi (58) is expected to help the Congress win support of the community as the first ever Dalit CM of Punjab.

Dalits who make up an estimated 31.9 per cent of Punjab’s overall population. Besides this, backward classes constitute 18 per cent of the Punjab’s population.

Channi’s elevation – he is the first from Dalit community to be chief minister – is key to Congress’ plans to woo the Dalit community.

Channi was the technical education and industrial training, tourism and cultural affairs, employment generation minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh government. He was one of the four ministers who had openly revolted against Amarinder Singh.

Previously, he was the leader of Opposition in the Assembly from 2015 to 2016. He belongs to the Ramdasia Sikh community.

Channi’s spectacular rise in politics started as a president of the Kharar municipal council 2002. He contested the 2007 Assembly polls from the Chamkaur Sahib constituency as a Congress rebel and won as an Independent from this reserved constituency.

In 2012, he joined the Congress and won the seat. In 2016, he was made the leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly against the wishes of Captain Amarinder Singh-led camp. He draws his strength from the Congress high command and he is seen as a choice of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.