CHANDIGARH: No leader in the Punjab Congress will be projected as the party’s chief ministerial face for the 2027 Assembly elections, with the high command opting to strike a balance between Hindu and Sikh leadership while avoiding internal rivalry.
Senior Punjab Congress leaders have held multiple rounds of closed-door meetings with the high command over the past few days to iron out differences and work together.
Sources said that there are three contenders for the post of Punjab Congress president— former CM and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, former Deputy CM and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and former MP Vijay Inder Singla.
The state leadership does not want to ignore the Hindus, especially as the ruling AAP, after appointing Aman Arora as its Punjab president, is once again focusing on the Hindu vote bank.
Congress opts for ‘delicate balance’ between seniority, experience before Punjab poll
On Saturday, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Punjab government would build a grand temple dedicated to Mata Sita and her sons, Luv and Kush, in Amritsar, “to preserve the spiritual heritage and promote the values of Sanatan Dharma”.
At the same time, the Congress feels the Sikh vote, especially the Jat vote, cannot be ignored after the Akal Takht’s edict against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over a controversial video allegedly featuring him. Party leaders believe that the issue is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
Sources said that irrespective of the responsibilities assigned to Singla, Channi, Randhawa or other senior leaders, power will be balanced among the top leadership. The party will decide on the chief minister only if it returns to power, they added.
A senior party leader said the high command was looking to strike a delicate balance between seniority and experience ahead of the Assembly polls.
Sources also said the delay in announcing the organisational rejig in Punjab is linked to broader changes at the national level, including the expected replacement of AICC general secretary in-charge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan Congress in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Since Randhawa is a contender for the post of Punjab Congress chief and Baghel is expected to return to state politics in Chhattisgarh, the leadership wants to complete the exercise simultaneously.
Congress Working Committee member Vijay Inder Singla said the high command was likely to announce its decision on the Punjab Congress organisation within the next two to three days.
