Hours before CM face reveal, Sidhu-Channi dilemma prevails within Punjab Congress

The stage is almost ready for the announcement of the Chief Minister's face by the Congress in the Punjab elections. On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi is slated make an official announcement regarding the Chief Ministerial face of Congress for the upcoming Punjab elections.

Chandigarh: The stage is almost ready for the announcement of the Chief Minister's face by the Congress in the Punjab elections. On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi is slated to make an official announcement regarding the Chief Ministerial face of Congress for the upcoming Punjab elections.

According to Congress sources, Rahul Gandhi may announce Charanjit Singh as the chief ministerial candidate in Punjab. Even before Harish Chaudhary's announcement, former Congress state president Sunil Jakhar had made a statement in the media that the high command should give time to Channi.

"The High Command's decision will be accepted by everyone. But I'm of the opinion that Channi ji has been given an opportunity. He should be given time so that he continues working. People have seen his good work in four months", Jakhar recently said.

The dilemma between Channi and Sidhu as options, however, still remains, says party sources.

The announcement is supposed to take place at 2 pm on Sunday. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi will reach Ludhiana, where a rally has been held in the Dakha assembly constituency. In view of the restrictions of the Election Commission, only 1000 people will be allowed in this rally. Congress to reach out to voters in all 117 seats of Punjab through its virtual rally.

At the same time, before the announcement of Rahul, veteran Congress leader Pratap Bajwa, who is contesting from Kadian, has adopted a different tone. Bajwa said that as the situation prevails, Congress should not go with any one face, adding that Congress should fight this election under joint leadership.

Earlier, Navjot Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu has said that "if Sidhu is not nominated as Chief Minister then he will return to his profession as a television presenter."

Sidhu had dared the High Command and talked of dire consequences. In a recent statement, Sidhu had said that the High Command needed a Chief Minister who would dance to its tune.

"The CM will be elected if there are 60 MLAs. Nobody is talking about 60 MLAs. Nobody is talking about the roadmap for a government to be formed," Sidhu significantly said on Saturday.

Charanjit Singh Channi, on the other hand, belongs to the Dalit community in the state. Removal of Channi after 111 days in power can possibly lead to a crash in the Dalit vote bank, add sources.

Punjab Congress vice-president Gurvinder Singh Bali said that after the announcement of the face of the Chief Minister by the Aam Aadmi Party, there was increasing pressure in the Congress that Congress should also announce the face of the Chief Minister. In 2017, there was a similar pressure when there was talk of declaring Captain Amarinder Singh as the face of the Chief Minister, and even then Rahul Gandhi had announced the name of Captain.

Senior advocate Ramesh Wamal of Punjab and Haryana High Court also gives an example in this regard that in the year 2005, Congress had won the majority in Haryana under the leadership of Bhajan Lal. But immediately after the elections, the majority of the MLAs were with Bhupinder Singh Hooda, so Hooda was made the Chief Minister.