Punjab Assembly Election: According to the sources, the Congress is expected to announce its chief ministerial candidate for Punjab on February 6, just days before the state’s assembly poll. This will put an end to speculation over whether the Grand Old Party’s face will be current incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi or state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
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It is supposed that Rahul Gandhi is expected to make the major announcement on Sunday during his visit to the poll-bound state. Gandhi said that the party will contest the elections with a CM face during his recent visit to Punjab on January 27, and that a decision will be made soon after consulting party workers. He even claimed that both leaders had told him that whomever is chosen as the chief ministerial candidate will have the backing of the other.
After Sidhu insisted that the party name the CM face for the elections and claimed he didn’t want to be a “showpiece” at the event, Rahul Gandhi made the comment.
Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi, the head of the Congress, has begun meetings with party officials and workers. Through its Shakti app, the party is soliciting feedback from Congress leaders and workers. The party has also polled the general public on the subject.
Both Channi and Sidhu have tried to project themselves as chief ministerial contenders in recent weeks, either indirectly or directly.
The Congress looks to be supporting Channi, who is a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and is running for two assembly seats in Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.
The Congress’s traditional voting bank, the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (STs), fell away from the party after the rise of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and other small parties.
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By electing Channi, the Congress hopes to unite the SC vote bank, which accounts for over a third of Punjab’s population.
