Chandigarh: Congress leader Amarinder Singh who led his party to victory after a gap of 10 years in Punjab, to take oath as the 26th Chief Minister of the state tomorrow morning.
The swearing-in-ceremony will be attended by the Congress party Vice President Rahul Gandhi here in Chandigarh.
Amarinder, who turned 75 on March 11, the day state assembly results were declared is likely to induct nine ministers initially.
According to party sources said adding that the cabinet would be expanded later. The state can have a maximum of 18 ministers. The Congress has 77 MLAs in the assembly.
Singh and members of his cabinet will be administered oath by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore at the Raj Bhawan.
Punjab Congress had said yesterday, “There will be nothing ostentatious about the oath-taking programme at the Raj Bhawan on Thursday morning, when Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore will administer the oath of office to Amarinder Singh as the new chief minister of the state.”
The oath-taking ceremony of CM is traditionally held at the Raj Bhawan, the outgoing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had chosen different venues for taking oath as CM in 2007 and 2012 when SAD-BJP formed the government.
The swearing-in ceremony of Badal, who was sworn-in as the CM for the fourth time in 2007, had taken place at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium at Mohali.
In 2012, the ceremony was held at historic Chapar Chiri Banda Bahadur Memorial, about 25 km from here.
This is the second time that Singh would be taking the oath as chief minister having served in that capacity in 2002-2007.
