Making a clear-cut departure from the age-old adage ‘you can’t please everyone’, the Congress party has attempted to share power among all categories of the society as a Dalit Sikh leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday sworn in as Punjab’s next Chief Minister along with OP Soni — five-time MLA and a senior Hindu leader from Amritsar, and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa — three-time MLA and a Jat Sikh leader, as his deputies.

While making these appointments, the ruling Congress has tried to strike a balance among various sections ahead of the crucial state assembly polls, scheduled to be held early next year. Channi, in consultations with the party high command and the state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, would be expanding his Council of Ministers in the next few days.

It has been learnt that some of the Ministers would be shown the door, while new additions, considering the caste and regional equations, would be made in the new Cabinet.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to the three Congress leaders at Punjab Raj Bhawan in the presence limited audience, including Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi, party affairs in-charge Harish Rawat, Punjab Congress chief Sidhu and his predecessor Sunil Jakhar, Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, party MLAs and MPs, among others.

While Channi, three-time MLA from Chamkaur Sahib, hails from the Malwa region of Punjab, both Randhawa and Soni are from the Majha region. This is for the first time in the recallable past that Punjab has two Deputy Chief Ministers.

Channi replaces Capt Amarinder Singh, who had resigned on Saturday citing continuous humiliation by the party high command. His appointment came after a day-long hectic parleys and calculations, coupled with a Sikh versus Hindu narrative.

Sources informed that Sidhu played a crucial role in selection of Deputy Chief Ministers.

Pipped to be Punjab’s Chief Minister by Sunday afternoon, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, a day later, took oath as one of the two deputy Chief Ministers. A dyed-in-the-wool Congress leader, Randhawa owes a legacy of Congress stalwart Santokh Singh Randhawa — the former Minister who was Punjab Congress chief twice.

Currently the Cooperation and Jails Minister, Randhawa started his political career in 1997, but it was in 2002 when he was first elected to the state assembly from Fatehgarh Churian constituency. In 2012, and 2017, Randhawa won from Dera Baba Nanak assembly segment in Majha. He was appointed Minister in Capt Amarinder cabinet in 2017 after becoming an MLA for the third time.

Once a close aide and staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Randhawa played a significant role in his ouster. He was among the four Cabinet Ministers, along with Channi, who had raised a banner of revolt against Capt Amarinder, demanding his ouster. Randhawa had backed Capt Amarinder in his fight against the then Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa ahead of the 2017 polls. An outspoken leader, Randhawa vociferously raised the panthic issues and never hesitated to speak against the Badals and former Cabinet Minister and powerful Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

It was Capt Amarinder’s alleged soft stance on Majithia and the Badals that resulted in the two leaders falling apart. Finally it was the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s adverse order in Kotkapura firing incident that enraged Randhawa. Openly expressing his anger, he had even offered his resignation to the Chief Minister during a Cabinet meeting over the issue.

By Sunday night, Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s senior-most member and six-time Congress MLA Brahm Mohindra was set to be the Deputy Chief Minister. But, in the last-minute, medical Education Minister and Amritsar Central MLA OP Soni’s name for Deputy Chief Minister’s post came as a surprise.

It has been learnt that Mohindra’s poor health and his earlier announcement of not contesting the next Assembly elections worked in Soni’s favour, whose name was reportedly suggested by the former Prime Minister and Congress veteran Dr Manmohan Singh.  Soni is known for his proximity to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who had intervened to propose Soni’s name as a Minister in the Punjab Government in 2017. Left out of the State Cabinet in the first go in 2017, Soni was eventually included a year later.

It has been learnt that deliberations continued till late Sunday night, understanding the caste equations and internal calculations, with finally settling on Soni’s name.

Also, Soni had been seen supporting Capt Amarinder till the last moment, in the latter’s fight against Sidhu.

Elected for the first time in 1997 from Amritsar West as an independent candidate, Soni never looked back.

He was re-elected from the same seat in 2002 also. In 2007, he successfully contested as Congress candidate from Amritsar West, followed by from Amritsar Central in 2012 and 2017.