CHANDIGARH: With 19 months to go for the 2027 Assembly elections in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday carried out yet another cabinet reshuffle, his seventh in a little over three years.
In this reshuffle, newly elected Ludhiana (West) MLA Sanjeev Arora was inducted into the cabinet, while NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal resigned.
Arora, a 61-year-old Ludhiana-based industrialist and social worker, who served as a Rajya Sabha MP for three years, was sworn in as a cabinet minister after winning the Ludhiana (West) by-election held on 23 June. He defeated his nearest Congress rival Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant after sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi allegedly died in January this year due to an accidental firearm discharge at his home.
Arora had resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, a day before his swearing-in, which took place at the Punjab Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to Arora in a simple ceremony conducted by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha.
The oath was taken in Punjabi and the ceremony lasted only six minutes, concluding with a rendition of the national anthem.
Arora is also known for his social welfare work and runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust.
With his induction, the total number of ministers in the Mann cabinet rose to 17, including the Chief Minister. However, Dhaliwal’s resignation brought the total back down to 16, with two berths remaining vacant.
Dhaliwal, an MLA from the Ajnala constituency, announced his resignation via a post on X, writing, “My hard work continues for the welfare of the people of Punjab.’’
Sources said Arora has been allocated the portfolios of the Department of Industry and the Department of NRI Affairs. The Industries portfolio was taken away from Tarunpreet Singh Sond, who will continue to handle Rural Development, Labour and Tourism.
Chief Minister Mann congratulated Arora on the new role. “Sanjeev Arora ji has been given the responsibility of Industry & Commerce, Investment Promotion, NRI Affairs departments. I hope that Sanjeev Arora ji will live up to the expectations of the people of Punjab. He will work with full honesty and without any discrimination for the development of Punjab and the welfare of 3 crore people of the state," Mann said in a post on X.
During the bypoll campaign, AAP convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that Arora would be made a minister if elected.
The last cabinet reshuffle in Punjab took place in September last year, when five new ministers were inducted and four were dropped.