New Delhi: Sikh-Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit CM-designate from Punjab, has become the new chief minister of Punjab today, replacing veteran leader Capt Amarinder Singh. Highly educated, a sports enthusiast and a strong believer in astrology, the 58-year-old is a man of multiple dimensions.
Channi was born in Punjab’s Bhajauli village near Kurali in 1963. He had his first tryst with politics as the president of the students' union at the Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Kharar. During his graduation at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, he was elected general secretary of the students’ union.
Known for his love for academics, Channi is a trained lawyer with two postgraduate degrees, one in business administration and another in political science. In fact, he graduated in law from Panjab University during his stint as a councillor. When he was first elected as an MLA from Chamkaur Sahib, he took up MBA from Punjab Technical University as he thought "it was a good subject”.
While serving as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in 2016, he completed his post-graduation in political science from Panjab University. According to media reports, Channi has been pursuing his Ph.D on the Indian National Congress in the political science department of Panjab University.
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Channi forayed into mainstream politics as a municipal councillor and served in this capacity for three terms. He later went on to become the president of the Khrar municipal council for two terms. In 2007, he was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Chamkaur Sahib Consistency for the first time. He was re-elected in 2012 and in 2017.
Captain's help
In 2007, Channi had fought against the Congress candidate from Chamkaur Sahib and contested as an independent candidate. Three years later, it was Capt Amarinder who brought him back into the party fold. However, when resentment against Capt Amarinder brew in the recent past, Channi vocally rallied against the now outgoing chief minister and sided with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's camp.
In 2015, when the now ousted chief minister Capt Amarinder rebelled to oust Partap Singh Bajwa as the chief of Punjab Congress Committee, Channi refrained from taking sides and maintained a neutral stand. It was perhaps for this reason that the high command picked him as the leader of the Opposition in the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha. In 2017, he was appointed as the cabinet minister for Technical Education and Industrial Training, Employment Generation, and also Science and Technology in the Capt Amarinder government.
Sports
Channi, who has multiple degrees to his name, was also a handball player and represented Panjab University several times, besides winning medals for the varsity.
#MeToo Movement
When the #MeToo movement gained storm in 2018, a woman IAS officer had levelled charges against Channi for sending her an inappropriate text. The state women panel had refused to act saying it had not received a formal complaint against Channi. However, two years later, when Channi rebelled against Capt Amarinder, the issue gained storm once again, but died down soon with the intervention of the then chief minister.
Astrology
Channi, a believer of astrology, had gained headlines at least a couple of times for his strange practices. Soon after he became a minister in 2017, he was alleged to have illegally constructed a road from a park outside his official residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh, on the advice of his astrologer. The Chandigarh administration, however, razed the structure within hours.
In another instance, he rode on an elephant in the front yard of his house, again on the advice of an astrologer.
Channi, Congress' pick to weather the storm in Punjab until the Assembly elections five months later, will take oath at 11am today.
