by NEW DELHI: Congress is leaning towards announcing chief minister Charanjit Channi as its leadership face for the Punjab elections, in a move that is likely to be at the same time bold and risky.
Indications that Channi could be the one to get the nod for the leadership position, in the wake of Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that Congress will come out with a CM face, became stronger after the party on Sunday announced his name for a second assembly seat of Bhadaur, along with his traditional seat of Chamkaur Sahib.
The move is seen as a result of the feedback in Congress as well as pressure from strategists that Channi’s special appeal to the Dalit community needs to be harnessed across regions. The feedback also suggested that Congress needed to come out with its CM candidate in view of Aam Aadmi Party naming comedian-turned-MP Bhagwant Mann as its CM candidate. Sources said Congress will look for a special occasion to name the CM candidate.
While in the Congress scheme of things, a sitting chief minister is the automatic CM candidate in polls, the uncertainty in Punjab stemmed from a strong claim to the leadership position made by state unit president and maverick politician Navjot Singh Sidhu. His unrelenting stance has been a source of trouble in the state unit, which has seen a roller-coaster ride ever since dissent broke out against Captain Amarinder Singh last year, finally ending with his eviction as the chief minister.
The fact that Rahul Gandhi announced during his Punjab rally last week that both Sidhu and Channi had urged him to announce a CM candidate and promised to support the person suggests that party managers have done the ground work to ensure that the candidate who gets left out does not throw a fit. However, it is to be seen how the issue actually pans out once the announcement is made.
It is probably for the first time that Punjab is witnessing a serious multi-cornered contest, as turmoil in Congress over the past one year culminated in the departure of Amarinder Singh and his tie-up with BJP. A section of farmers has also jumped into the fray as Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, creating five fronts on the face of it along with AAP and Akali Dal.
Indications that Channi could be the one to get the nod for the leadership position, in the wake of Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that Congress will come out with a CM face, became stronger after the party on Sunday announced his name for a second assembly seat of Bhadaur, along with his traditional seat of Chamkaur Sahib.
The move is seen as a result of the feedback in Congress as well as pressure from strategists that Channi’s special appeal to the Dalit community needs to be harnessed across regions. The feedback also suggested that Congress needed to come out with its CM candidate in view of Aam Aadmi Party naming comedian-turned-MP Bhagwant Mann as its CM candidate. Sources said Congress will look for a special occasion to name the CM candidate.
While in the Congress scheme of things, a sitting chief minister is the automatic CM candidate in polls, the uncertainty in Punjab stemmed from a strong claim to the leadership position made by state unit president and maverick politician Navjot Singh Sidhu. His unrelenting stance has been a source of trouble in the state unit, which has seen a roller-coaster ride ever since dissent broke out against Captain Amarinder Singh last year, finally ending with his eviction as the chief minister.
The fact that Rahul Gandhi announced during his Punjab rally last week that both Sidhu and Channi had urged him to announce a CM candidate and promised to support the person suggests that party managers have done the ground work to ensure that the candidate who gets left out does not throw a fit. However, it is to be seen how the issue actually pans out once the announcement is made.
It is probably for the first time that Punjab is witnessing a serious multi-cornered contest, as turmoil in Congress over the past one year culminated in the departure of Amarinder Singh and his tie-up with BJP. A section of farmers has also jumped into the fray as Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, creating five fronts on the face of it along with AAP and Akali Dal.
