New Delhi: The Assembly poll results being announced on Thursday are bringing nothing but gloom for several political heavyweights and stalwarts. This includes current CMs (Punjab's Charanjit Singh Channi and Uttarakhand's Pushkar Singh Dhami), former CMs (Harish Rawat), and 'unofficial' CM candidate (Navjot Singh Sidhu). While Charanjit lost from both the seats he contested in, the other two lost from the seats they held respectively.
The CM who lasted 111 days
Until a few months ago, Charanjit Singh Channi was just another minister in Amarinder Singh's Congress government, hardly known outside of Punjab. He didn't even make Congress' initial list of candidates to replace Capt Amarinder Singh when the latter was ousted. But after being appointed a CM, he became one by announcing sops, featuring in newspaper advertisements, and such. His credentials as Punjab's first Dalit CM seemed to help as Dalits account for over 30% of the state's population.
It is perhaps for this reason that Congress fielded Channi from two seats - Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. So it was a huge surprise, at least for Congress that he lost from both the seats. Channi had projected himself as a politician who could identify with the masses. He said "I am not 'Ailaanjeet' (one who only makes announcements). I am 'Vishwasjeet' (one who has won the people's trust)." Not enough, it would seem for Congress to make a mark in the election.
After losing, he took to Twitter to "humbly accept the mandate of people of Punjab".
'Unofficial CM' Navjot Singh Sidhu
One of the huge losses in this election for Congress in Punjab is its chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s defeat in Amritsar East, where he was locked in a high-profile contest with Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Though he has been in the political space for nearly two decades, he often has to fight the impression that he is soft towards Pakistan and PM Imran Khan in particular. Known for speaking his mind and unfiltered remarks, it was Sidhu's open attack on the Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh that led to the ousting of the former and the installation of Channi as CM.
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Sidhu, who was sent thrice to parliament on a BJP ticket, has conceded defeat by saying “The voice of the people is the voice of God …. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab". Time and again Sidhu had expressed his wish to be the Punjab CM and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu said even recently that "if Sidhu is not nominated as Chief Minister then he will return to his profession as a television presenter."
During the incumbent Congress' regime, he held press conferences frequently and thrashed the party for failing the people of Punjab. Now, he has lost from his bastion Amritsar East. Did the people of Punjab fail him or the other way around?
Harish Rawat's future in politics a question mark?
Harish Rawat, Congress campaign head in Uttarakhand, created a flutter in political circles last December when he alleged non-cooperation from his party leaders. This forced Rahul Gandhi to step in and bring about a truce between warring factions in the party ahead of the state Assembly polls. However, the attempt by Congress leadership seems to have failed to turn the party's fortunes in the state, with Rawat trailing from his own constituency Lalkuwa and the party set to lose the elections.
Ever since campaigning for Uttarakhand assembly elections began, Harish Rawat had asserted that Congress will win in the state elections and said 'Abki Baar BJP Tadipar' (which roughly translates to BJP losing power). He also told that "Nobody in the party has any objections to my name as the Chief Ministerial candidate. No party member has expressed any objection to my name." Once he randomly stated without any sources that over 40% of people in the state want him as CM.
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The former state CM had to change his constituency from Ramnagar to Lalkuwa in the run-up to the polls due to party leader Ranjit Rawat's opposition. In the last Assembly elections too, Harish Rawat had lost both seats he had contested.
The defeat in the elections has put a question mark on the five-time MP and former Union minister's political future. Harish Rawat held several key positions in the party, including that of the state Congress president from 2002 to 2007. He had earlier served as Union Minister of Water Resources in the cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2012 to 2014. He became the Uttarakhand CM for the first time in 2014, when Vijay Bahuguna, then in the Congress, resigned following his criticism over the handling of the Kedarnath tragedy.
After being sworn in as the seventh chief minister of Uttarakhand in February 2014, he remained on the post until a rebellion against him by Congress MLAs reduced his government to a minority. The sudden turn of events subsequently led to the imposition of the president's rule in Uttarakhand, which lasted less than two months. He was reinstated as CM as he won a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in the state Assembly.
Harish's stint as AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab saw the resignation of Amarinder Singh as the chief minister and it was him who gave Navjot a "clean chit" in the issue.
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