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Newly-elected MLAs take oath in Punjab

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh keeps off ceremony

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Punjab CM Amarinder Singh (right) and Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu (extreme left) during the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected MLAs
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The 15th Legislative Assembly of Punjab began its five-year term with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh taking oath along with other newly elected MLAs on the first day of the session, here on Friday.

Captain Amarinder Singh was the first to be administered oath by Pro-term Speaker Rana KP Singh of Congress, followed by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra and Tourism and Culture Minister Navjot Singh Siddhu. The entire Cabinet took oath in Punjabi, except Aruna Choudhary who took oath in English.

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal did not attend the oath-taking ceremony. It is for the first time that state's traditional party SAD was elected neither to treasury benches, nor as principal opposition party in the Assembly.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which made its electoral debut in Punjab, sat in the opposition with its 20 MLAs and two from its alliance partner, Lok Insaaf Party (LIP). Former Supreme Court lawyer Harvinder Singh Phoolka is the Leader of Opposition. Simarjeet Singh Bains from LIP greeted Siddhu, with whom he had formed Awaaz-e-Punjab after the former cricketer quit BJP.

Siddhu fell near short of stoking a controversy when he sat on the CM's chair in the Assembly, after Captain Amarinder Singh left. He was then requested by an official to shift and the leader sat on the chair allotted to him next to the CM's chair. When asked by the media about the faux-pas, Siddhu chortled, "There were so many chairs, and I just sat on one of them."

The former cricketer was also seen bursting into laughter talking to other MLAs sitting behind him, including former SAD leader who joined Congress, Inderjit Singh Bolaria as the oath-taking ceremony was on. All India Youth Congress President, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring removed his shoes before ascending stairs towards the Speaker's podium to take oath. Majority of the Congress MLAs greeted Captain Amarinder and Siddhu after they took oath. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also bent to touch Captain Amarinder's feet, before he proceeded to take oath.

Enthusiasm was evident among the first time legislators whose family members had come to attend the ceremony. Some MLAs including Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill who defeated SAD four-time MLA Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon were welcomed with loud thumping of benches by the Congress.

With 117 MLAs, 77 from Congress, 22 from AAP-LIP and 18 from SAD-BJP in the Assembly, former CM Badal remains the senior-most legislator at 89 and Congress' Davinder Singh Ghubaya, the youngest at 25.

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