Captain Amarinder Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time last week.
Captain Amarinder Singh, the new Chief Minister of Punjab, is a man on a mission. Intent on reviving Congress's fortune, the 75-year-old politician banned the use of red beacons or 'lal battis' from all government vehicles, including his own. Stating that Punjab's financial state is worrying, Amarinder Singh had a simple swearing-in ceremony and introduced a series of cost-cutting measures which includes no more banquets on state expense. The Congress returned to power in Punjab after a decade, decimating the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and also Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had hoped to score big on its debut.
Here is a look at Captain Amarinder Singh's journey into politics.
Who is Captain Amarinder Singh?Born on March 11, 1942 in Patiala, Amarinder Singh completed school at the famous Doon School in 1959. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 1962 and was commissioned in the Army from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in June 1963. He resigned from the Army in 1965 but joined again during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, serving as a Captain.
Amarinder Singh's wife, Preneet Kaur, is a former member of Parliament and former junior foreign minister. Mr Singh has a son, Raninder Singh, who is also a politician, and a daughter, Jai Inder Kaur.
Captain Amarinder Singh's net income for financial year 2015-16 was over Rs 14,94,830 and that of his wife was Rs 28,66,310, according to the Association of Democratic Reforms. He also declared assets over Rs 48 Crore.
Captain Amarinder Singh's political careerIn 1980, Captain Amarinder Singh was elected to parliament. Four years later, he quit both parliament and the Congress in protest against Operation Blue Star.
He joined the Akali Dal but left the party in 1992. He returned to the Congress and went on to become the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007.
He delivered the only victory for the Congress in 2017 state elections. He also won the Patiala seat, defeating AAP's Balbir Singh by a massive 52,407 votes. He was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time last week.