In a Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inducted Ludhiana West MLA Sanjeev Arora into the state Cabinet, while senior leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal stepped down, keeping the total number of ministers unchanged at 16. Two Cabinet berths still remain vacant.
Before Arora’s swearing-in, Dhaliwal met CM Mann and tendered his resignation. Speaking to The Tribune, Dhaliwal said the Chief Minister informed him that other MLAs also deserved a chance to serve in the Cabinet. “I didn’t hesitate even for a moment. I’ve never run after positions. I gave up my US citizenship to serve Punjab, and I’ll continue doing that as an MLA,” he said, vowing loyalty to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Dhaliwal’s key portfolio of NRI Affairs, along with Industry and Investment Promotion, has now been handed over to Arora — an industrialist and philanthropist who recently resigned from the Rajya Sabha to contest and win the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll.
The Industry and Investment Promotion Department was earlier held by Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond. Following the reshuffle, Sond will continue with the portfolios of Rural Development and Panchayats, Labour, and Tourism.
In a brief yet formal ceremony held at Punjab Raj Bhawan, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to Arora. Dressed in a yellow kurta-pyjama, Arora took the oath in Punjabi. The event, conducted by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, lasted just six minutes and was attended by CM Mann, several Cabinet ministers, and dignitaries.
This marks the seventh Cabinet reshuffle during the Aam Aadmi Party’s three-year tenure in Punjab, reflecting the party’s ongoing efforts to bring in new faces and reassign responsibilities as it prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections.
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