Congress steps ups Punjab election campaign; convenes meeting to screen poll candidates

As the Punjab polls draw closer, Navjot Sidhu announced that a meeting of the Screening Committee has been convened at the Punjab Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh on December 16, 17 and 18. Headed by Ajay Maken, this panel comprises Chandan Yadav and Krishna Allavaru whereas the Punjab Congress president, CM Charanjit Singh Channi, AICC state in-charge Harish Choudhary, Sunil Jakhar and all AICC secretaries in-charge of the state are the ex-officio members. It is likely to commence the process of screening prospective candidates for the Punjab Assembly election due early next year. 

A day earlier, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar chaired a meeting of the Election Campaign Committee in which senior leaders including Channi and Sidhu participated. Meanwhile, ex-Union Minister Ambika Soni and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa have been appointed as the chairpersons of the Election Coordination Committee and the Manifesto Committee. As of now, the Sonia Gandhi-led party have not projected any Chief Ministerial candidate for the polls. 

MLA backs Sidhu as CM face

Sharing the stage with Navjot Sidhu in Qadian on December 2, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa extended support to the Punjab Congress president as the party's CM face for the Punjab polls. This came as a setback to former CM Amarinder Singh as Bajwa was perceived to be his loyalist. It is believed that Sidhu was miffed after being bypassed for the CM's post after Singh's resignation. 

Congress MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa opined, "MLAship is a very small thing and we can throw it away a hundred times. We need love of brothers, we need Navjot Singh Sidhu. If he becomes the CM then it means I have become the CM, and our area has become the CM". 

It is perceived that the formation of a new party by Amarinder Singh and Sidhu's disgruntlement might have an adverse impact on Congress' poll prospects giving hope to AAP. In the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, Congress had won a whopping 77 seats in the 117-member House, whereas Shiromani Akali Dal could win only 18 seats. On the other hand, AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats.