Charanjit Singh Channi, who has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab, reached the Governor's house here on Sunday to meet Governor Banwarilal Purohit to stake a claim to form the government, a day after the resignation of Amarinder Singh.
Earlier today, Congress' in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat said Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party and is set to take over as next chief minister.
"It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Sh. Charanjit Singh Channi has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab," tweeted Rawat.
Channi, a Dalit leader, was Technical Education Minister in the outgoing Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's cabinet.
After the party announced his name as Punjab CLP leader, the Chief Minister-designate Channi, while leaving from JW Marriott Hotel in Chandigarh for Governor's House, said, "I will speak after leaving from Governor's house."
Meanwhile, Channi's family also reached the Governor's House, Chandigarh.
According to the official website of the Punjab Government, Channi remained Municipal Councilor for three terms and moved on to become the President of Municipal Council Kharar for a two-term.
He was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Chamkaur Sahib Consistency for the first time in 2007. He was elected to the assembly seat again in 2012 and then in 2017.
In 2015, Channi was elected as Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
In 2017, he was appointed as the Cabinet Minister for Technical Education and Industrial Training, Employment Generation and also Science and Technology in the government of Punjab.
Channi will succeed Captain Amarinder Singh, who resigned as the chief minister of Punjab on Saturday following months of infighting between him and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
These development came months before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
( With inputs from ANI )
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