Capt Amarinder ensures heavyweight portfolios for his loyalists

After securing ministerial berths for most of his loyalists, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh also ensured heavyweight portfolios for them in the full strength cabinet of 18 ministers.

The portfolio allocation to his cabinet colleagues, which was kept under wraps by the Chief Minister till Saturday evening, was already decided during Friday’s meeting at the Delhi Darbar when the final list was given a go ahead by the Congress national president Rahul Gandhi.

Capt Amarinder, who has time and again indicated that he had more departments under him than he can handle, has distributed 23 out of 42. Capt Amarinder retained the important departments of Home, Personnel, Excise and Taxation, General Administration, Agriculture, Public Relations, Vigilance, and also taking Wildlife under him which was headed by Sadhu Singh Dharamsot earlier.

With the elevation of two Ministers of State — Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana, the Chief Minister also changed the portfolios of the only two female ministers. Razia, who was earlier heading Public Works Department, has been allotted Higher Education and Water Supply and Sanitation. Chaudhary, who was heading Education Department, has been given Transport and Social Security, Women and Child Welfare.

There was no change in the departments allotted to Brahm Mohindra, Manpreet Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi.

Chief Minister rewarded his close aide and trusted soldier Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa with the Housing and Urban Development ministry along with the Rural Development he was already holding charge of. Notably, Sidhu had urged the Chief Minister to hand over the Urban Development Department to him, which fell on deaf ears.

Capt Amarinder’s loyalist and five-time MLA OP Soni was given School Education, while his another trusted lieutenant Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, who has been a former international shooter, got his favourite Sports and Youth Affairs department.

Another CM’s loyalist Gurpreet Singh Kangar has got Power Department, which was earlier held by Rana Gurjit Singh who had to put in his papers following corruption allegations. Along with Power, Kangar will also hold the charge of New and Renewable Energy.

Chief Minister’s pick Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria would be heading Revenue, Mines and Geology along with Water Resources, Sukhjinder Randhawa—considered close to state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar — would hold the charge of Cooperation and Jails, even though he was expecting more “important” departments.

Three-time MLA from Mohali Balbir Singh Sidhu would be heading Animal Husbandry and Labour Departments, with which he has expressed his unwillingness.

Chief Minister has allotted significant portfolios of Industries and Food and Civil Supplies to two-time MLAs Sundar Sham Arora and Bharat Bhushan Ashu respectively. The first time MLA and former MP Vijay Inder Singla, a known Rahul protégé, would be heading Public Works Department.