Rahul Gandhi in Jalandhar: How Congress in Punjab sees a repeat of 2017 assembly election | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: During his one-day visit to Punjab on Thursday, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared that the state party unit will get a chief ministerial candidate for the February 20 assembly election. With Punjab Congress getting a CM candidate, the situation appears similar to the one that had arisen before the party in the state ahead of the 2017 assembly election.
Rahul Gandhi visited Mithapur in Jalandhar to address a virtual rally – as all physical rallies by political parties have been banned by the Election Commission for the upcoming assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa – and in his address said the party workers of Punjab would decide who would be the chief ministerial candidate in the state poll.
Rahul said, “Demand for declaring party’s Punjab CM face will be met soon after consulting Congress workers.”
Reiterating the party stand on declaring CM face ahead of assembly elections, the former Congress president said, “Normally, we don’t do this. But if the Congress party, our workers and Punjab want this, then we will take a decision on the CM face.”
What Rahul said was, in fact, a departure from tradition. With a few exceptions, the Congress party does not declare CM candidates ahead of assembly elections. Late Vir Bhadra Singh in Himachal Pradesh was one while former CM Amarinder Singh in Punjab itself was the other one.
In the 2017 assembly elections in the same five states, Harish Rawat was declared as the CM face by virtue of him being the incumbent person in the chair.
Amarinder Singh, who was leading the Congress campaign, exerted pressure on the party high command to announce a CM candidate. He declared that he was contesting the 2017 assembly election for the last time. On the same ground, he sought a chance to lead the party in the assembly election.
The ‘Maharaja of Patiala’ was granted his wish. Rahul Gandhi himself declared Amarinder Singh as the Punjab Congress’s CM candidate and the latter went on to lead the party to a decisive victory in 2017.
While the Congress won 77 of the 117 assembly seats, debutant Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 20, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) 15 and its then ally BJP three.
Charanjit Singh Channi vs Navjot Singh Sidhu
If it was Amarinder Singh who forced the Congress high command to declare his name as the CM candidate in 2017, it is Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party’s state president Navjot Singh Sidhu who have exerted pressure for announcement of a name ahead of the assembly election this time.
Ever since Channi became the Punjab CM in September 2021, Sidhu is seen to be creating roadblocks for him, whether it was in the matter of selection of state director general of police (DGP) or advocate general (AG).
At the root of the tussle between the two top Punjab Congress leaders is Sidhu eyeing the CM’s post.
The issue of CM candidate has become a bone of contention between Channi and Sidhu. Both the leaders have been demanding that the party should declare a CM face in the state.
Making a choice between Channi and Sidhu would not have been quite tough. But the situation has thrown a great dilemma before the party leadership as Amarinder Singh, who was ousted as the CM in September 2021, has pledged to do anything to ensure that Sidhu did not become the CM.
Amarinder Singh has opened a front against Sidhu calling him an “anti-national” and who was friends with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and army chief Bajwa.
So far, the Congress was trying to maintain a delicate balance between Channi and Sidhu. But not any longer. It would have to make the tough choice.
Rahul Gandhi said in Jalandhar: “Both Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu have assured me that they will accept the decision of the party and work unitedly.”