Sidhu defies Congress, avers 'not high command but people' will choose new Punjab CM

Ahead of assembly polls, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday said that the people of the state will select the Chief Minister and not the high command. Navjot Singh Sidhu, while speaking at a press conference, called to unveil the 'Punjab Model' of the party, which had Charanjit Singh Channi's face missing, asked the people to not have a 'false implication' in their minds. 

Sidhu defies Congress high command AGAIN

'Who told you that the high command will choose the CM?' Sidhu asked added, that the MLAs, as well as the CM, will be chosen by the people. 

Interestingly, state Congress had earlier made it clear that the party will not announce a CM face and will fight polls under collective leadership. Committee chief Sunil Jakhar had said the party had never named its CM face adding that it was only an exception that the Congress high command had declared Captain Amarinder Singh as the chief ministerial candidate in the run-up to the 2017 state assembly polls.

Sidhu's run for CM post 

As known to all, Sidhu has been eyeing the Chief Ministerial post for a long time now. When Capt Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister, Sidhu had continuously targetted him over the purported delayed justice in the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and drug cases.

The high command had tried its best to solve Sidhu's differences With Singh, and even given him the position of the state party chief. However, he did not stop until Singh stepped down from the position of the CM citing 'humiliation'.  In the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting held thereafter, to Sidhu's disappointment, not him but Chanajit Singh Channi was named the Chief Minister. 

Punjab elections 

The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for the Punjab Assembly elections 2022. The voting to elect 117 members of the 16th Assembly of the State Legislative Assembly is to take place in a single phase on February 14. 

In the last Assembly elections in 2017, the Indian National Congress bagged 77 out of 117 seats, leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance behind in the third place with 18 seats. AAP was second with 20 seats and became the official opposition in the state. Polling