Captain to take oath as Punjab CM on March 16
Monday, 13/03/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=174717&boxid=65205&uid=&dat=2017-03-13
Chandigarh : After guiding Congress to a thumping victory in the state Assembly polls, senior party leader Captain Amarinder Singh is all set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab on March 16. Talking to media outside Punjab Raj Bhawan here on Sunday, he said that he will go to New Delhi on March 14 to meet Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and discuss the formation of the new government. “The oath taking ceremony will take place on March 16,” he said.
However, the scion of erstwhile Patiala Royal family refused to comment on the number of ministers who will be part of the new cabinet. He said the Congress government will be accountable to the people of the state. Amarinder earlier held an official meeting with Governor V P Singh Badnore for staking claims to form the new government in the state.
He was also unanimously elected as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by the newly-elected party MLAs in a meeting held at party office here. Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar East), Pargat Singh (Jalandhar Cantt) and Raj Kumar Verka (Amritsar East) were some of the newly-elected MLAs present in the meeting.
Congress ended the SAD-BJP combine’s ten year regime by registering a thumping win by bagging 77 seats, one short of two-third majority. Rookie Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to get 20 seats, while SAD-BJP won 18 seats in the state polls. Two seats went into the kitty of AAP’s ally Lok Insaf Party (LIP). The winning margin of Amarinder from Patiala seat was the highest in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. He won convincingly with a margin of 52,407 votes after defeating his nearest rival AAP candidate Balbir Singh.
Congress MLA from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjidner Randhwa said the schemes started by the SAD-BJP regime would continue. He added that Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) will not be constructed at any cost.
Badal resigns; Guv dissolves Assembly
Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday submitted his resignation to Governor V P Singh Badnore following which Governor dissolved the Assembly. Punjab Cabinet, which met under Badal for the last time, recommended dissolution of the Assembly, paving the way for the constitution of the new legislature. “In pursuance of powers conferred upon me by sub-clause (b) of clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I, V P Singh Badnore, Governor of the state of Punjab, hereby dissolve the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha with effect from the afternoon of 12th March 2017,” he said in the order.
The Council of Ministers on Sunday thanked the people of state for their unflinching support and cooperation during the last decade for upholding the ethos of peace and communal harmony besides ensuring all round development of the state. The Cabinet passed a resolution which reads, “The last decade saw Punjab becoming a power surplus state, from a power deficit one thereby relieving the people from power cuts besides developing a world class infrastructure along with international airports and perpetuating the glorious legacy of state through beautification of Sri Amritsar Sahib.” “Several path breaking initiatives were taken for welfare of urban and rural populace,” reads the Cabinet resolution.
