Channi resigns as CM after electoral setback
The Congress was routed in the state elections with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking 92 seats in the 117-member assembly, leaving it with only 18 seats.
Charanjit Singh Channi submitted his resignation as Punjab chief minister to governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday, a day after the Congress suffered a massive defeat in the state assembly elections. Channi lost from both the seats he contested – his home turf Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.
The Congress was routed in the state elections with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking 92 seats in the 117-member assembly, leaving it with only 18 seats. The AAP sweep decimated the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party combine as well, with the SAD getting three seats, the BSP one and the Bharatiya Janata Party winning two.
On Friday, the Channi-led Cabinet met for the last time and recommended the dissolution of the assembly, to pave the way for the formation of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
“I have tendered my resignation to the governor,” Channi told reporters after meeting the governor at the Raj Bhavan.
“We accept the verdict of people. We will continue to serve them,” he added.
On November 2, 2021, the Congress orchestrated the exit of then CM Captain Amarinder Singh, and replaced him with Charanjit Singh Channi — the first Dalit CM of the state.
On whether people did not like his 111-day tenure as the CM, Channi “urged the new government to continue these decisions, which we took in 111 days”.
“We expect that they (AAP) will live up to the dreams, which they showed to people. We will fully cooperate with the next government,” said Channi.
A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the governor is authorised to dissolve the state legislature as per sub-clause (b) of clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution. This move being a constitutional necessity would now pave the way for the formation of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
At the end of the meeting, the chief minister thanked his cabinet colleagues, officers and people for overall development and maintaining peace in the state during the tenure of his government. The governor later dissolved the assembly with immediate effect, according to an official spokesperson.
Channi congratulated the incoming Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government and hoped that it would continue with the decisions taken in the public interest by his government, including the reduction of electricity rates, slashing VAT on oil besides decreasing rates of sand and gravel.