Kuldeep Dhaliwal dropped amid 7th Punjab Cabinet expansion; Sanjeev Arora sworn in as minister

PTC Web Desk: In a major reshuffle, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has been removed from his post, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjeev Arora has been inducted as the new Cabinet minister. Arora, who recently won the Ludhiana West by-election, took oath as the 17th minister in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Cabinet at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

The induction of Sanjeev Arora marks the seventh Cabinet expansion during the AAP government’s tenure of over three and a half years in Punjab. Arora’s elevation to the Cabinet comes in line with a pre-election promise made by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who had publicly assured voters that Arora would be made a minister if elected.

Sanjeev Arora resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 1, just before taking the oath. His induction was slightly delayed earlier due to Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s absence from Chandigarh, as he was on a visit to Udaipur.

Arora is likely to be given charge of the Industry and NRI Affairs departments, according to sources. The NRI Affairs portfolio was earlier held by Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who has now been asked to step down from the Cabinet. Notably, Dhaliwal was absent from the swearing-in ceremony, and Jalandhar MLA Mohinder Bhagat confirmed that his resignation had been sought.

Official announcements regarding department allocations are expected soon.

Punjab's Council of Ministers can have up to 18 members, including the Chief Minister. With Arora’s appointment, the strength of the Cabinet has reached 17, leaving one position vacant.

Timeline of previous Cabinet reshuffles:

September 2024: The last major reshuffle saw Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Dr Ravjot Singh, and Mohinder Bhagat inducted. Meanwhile, Chetan Singh Jauramajra, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Balkar Singh, and Anmol Gagan Maan were dropped.

January 2023: Following Fauja Singh Sarari’s resignation, Dr Balbir Singh was given charge of the Health and Medical Education portfolios.

May 2023: Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar resigned citing personal reasons. Balkar Singh and Gurmeet Singh Khudian were inducted as new ministers.

July 2022: Just four months after forming the government, CM Bhagwant Mann appointed five new AAP MLAs as ministers.

May 2022: Health Minister Vijay Singla was removed from the Cabinet over serious corruption allegations.

Sanjeev Arora won the Ludhiana West Assembly seat in a byelection held in June. The seat had fallen vacant after sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi died in January 2025 due to an accidental firearm discharge at his home. Arora, who was then a Rajya Sabha MP, was fielded by AAP as the party’s candidate.