Congress to not declare CM candidate in Punjab polls amid Sidhu-Channi tussle: Sources

In a key development, sources revealed that Congress has decided to not project any leader as the Chief Ministerial face in the Punjab Assembly polls due early next year. The Sonia Gandhi-led party is likely to contest the election under the collective leadership to balance caste equations in the state, sources added. This assumes significance as CM Charanjit Singh Channi is a Dalit Sikh, state president Navjot Singh Sidhu is a Jat Sikh whereas Deputy CM OP Soni hails from the Hindu community.

Meanwhile, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar too is integral to the party's plans as the head of the Election Campaign Committee. On the other hand, 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. Already, the Screening Committee has held multiple rounds of meetings with MLAs, MPs and other leaders to select prospective candidates. Speculation has been rife that Channi will be replaced as Sidhu if Congress wins the 2022 polls. 

Political scenario in Punjab

In the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, Congress 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 and failed to bear fruit as it could win in only 54 constituencies. Despite winning a huge mandate, infighting erupted in the Congress camp after Sidhu started attacking the then CM Amarinder Singh over the purported delayed justice in the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and the drug cases.

The situation escalated on September 18 after Congress summoned a Legislative Party meeting without keeping the Punjab CM in the loop. Amid growing speculation that Singh will be ousted, the latter tendered his resignation to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit at about 4.30 pm on the same day owing to "humiliation". However, Charanjit Singh Channi pipped Sidhu to the CM's post on September 20. More drama was in store in the poll-bound state as the latter stepped down as the state Congress chief on September 28.

Sidhu took back his resignation only after Channi replaced Amar Preet Singh Deol as the Advocate General of Punjab. The former cricketer had expressed dissatisfaction over Deol's appointment as the latter had appeared for former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and other accused in the sacrilege cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. But, the Amritsar East MLA has continued his public criticism of the state government, disapproving of the "freebies" announced by the new Chief Minister. On November 25, he threatened to go on a hunger strike if the reports on drug menace and the sacrilege incident are not made public.