Punjab: In view of the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, there is a growing demand for the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate in the state unit of Congress. The party is constantly talking about contesting the assembly elections under joint leadership. Party leaders have different opinions regarding the CM candidate in Punjab Congress. The fight here is between Punjab Congress Committee President Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Several senior Punjab Congress leaders are extending their support to the first Chief Minister of the state, Charanjit Singh Channi, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. The Congress high command has so far maintained that the party will contest the February 20 elections to the 117-member assembly under “collective leadership”, but many of its state unit leaders have demanded that the situation on the matter be clarified at the earliest. should be done.
Senior leader and minister Brahm Mohindra said the party had announced its chief ministerial candidates before the 2012 and 2017 elections and Channi had proved his mettle in three months. “When one person has already proved himself to be better than everyone else’s expectations, then there should be no dilemma in the party regarding the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate,” he said.
Congress increased pressure after AAP’s announcement
The demand for the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate in the Punjab unit of the Congress is gaining momentum after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), emerging as a strong contender in the elections, has nominated its MP and state unit chief Bhagwant Mann for the chief minister’s post. has declared its candidate. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the main rival of the Congress in the state, is yet to formally announce its candidate for the chief minister’s post, but party president Sukhbir Singh Badal is its likely candidate.
Mohindra also said that AAP has nominated Bhagwant Mann as its candidate, while SAD is projecting Sukhbir Badal as its candidate for the post. In such a situation, it has become more important for the Congress to announce its candidate for the post of Chief Minister.
Channi is getting the support of most of the leaders
Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh also came out in support of Channi, saying that questioning his continuance as chief minister after the party returns to power would amount to self-harm. “Channi has done a wonderful job in just three months,” he said. Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Shahkot MLA Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia also supported Channi’s appointment as the chief minister.
What is the Congress leadership saying?
When asked a question in this regard, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said in Chandigarh this week, “Sidhu ji is the ‘Sardar’ of the Punjab unit of Congress, Channi ji is the Sardar (chief) of the government and we are under a collective leadership.” Will contest elections.