Charanjit Singh Channi to take oath as Punjab CM today at 11 am

File image of Punjab CM-designate Charanjit Singh Channi

Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi will be taking oath as Punjab chief minister on September 20.

The Punjab CM-designate said on September 19: “We have presented our stance, unanimously supported by party MLAs, before the Governor. Oath taking ceremony to take place at 11 am tomorrow.”

After a day of deliberation, the Congress party announced on September 19 that Channi will be the new chief minister of Punjab. The announcement was made by Congress veteran Harish Rawat -- the party's state in-charge in poll-bound Punjab -- a day after former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the post after a prolonged and bitter fall out with other party leaders.

Also read: Five things to know about new Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

Channi, who will be the first Dalit CM of Punjab, was the minister of technical educational and industrial training in the outgoing Amarinder Singh-led Cabinet. He would be assuming the charge of chief minister barely four months before the Punjab Assembly elections.

Notably, Channi has been vocal against Amarinder Singh for not paying attention to issues raised by party leaders and was among those who went to meet Harish Rawat in Dehradun last month.

In October 2018, Channi was in the crosshairs of an unsavoury controversy after a woman IAS officer accused him of sending “inappropriate” text messages to her. Channi had said then that he was targeted because he was a Dalit.