The much-awaited announcement on the Congress’ Chief Ministerial candidate for the February 20 elections is expected to be made by this week. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address a party’s virtual rally at Ludhiana on February 6 where he would also reveal the party’s CM face.
Confirming the reports, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi made the announcement regarding the same while addressing a small rally in Ropar on Thursday. “We had assured that all the party leaders will accept the will of the workers and voters. We are expecting Rahul ji to make the announcement at Ludhiana on Sunday,” said Channi after he was asked about the announcement of CM face.
This would be Rahul Gandhi’s second visit to Punjab after the announcement of assembly elections. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is spearheading the party's poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, is also likely to make her maiden visit to the state in second week of February. During the previous virtual rally at Jalandhar where both Channi and the state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu had insisted upon announcing the party’s CM face before polls, Rahul Gandhi had declared that the name will be announced after getting feedback from the party workers.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and SAD-BSP combine have already declared their chief ministerial candidates — Bhagwant Mann and Sukhbir Singh Badal, respectively, who would be contesting from the politically-significant Malwa region of the State. Congress party, to consolidate votes in Malwa area, have fielded Chief Minister Channi from two seats. As of now, the Congress is taking feedback on deciding the CM face in three ways. First, it started taking workers’ feedback on in-house app, Shakti; after which it started taking voters’ response through televoting.
A pre-recorded message through the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) were sent out to mobile numbers of voters across the State, giving them the option to choose from Channi, Sidhu, or no CM face. The party claims that it has already got over 52 lakh responses from voters through the IVRS system.
Besides, a team of volunteers is also taking feedback from party candidates, AICC coordinators, spreading across the 117 Assembly segments. Responses are being taken from MPs, MLAs, district presidents, block presidents, and all candidates.
As per initial reports, Channi is said to be emerging as the frontrunner for the Chief Ministerial face.
Several senior Congress leaders, including the Cabinet Ministers, have already lent their support to Channi’s name openly. A day after creating a stir in Punjab’s political circles by claiming that he was rejected for replacing Capt Amarinder Singh in September last despite having support of 42 MLAs, former state Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday extended his support to Channi as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
“What the high command decides will be accepted by all. But I’m of 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,” said Jakhar.
Channi and Sidhu had assured Rahul Gandhi that they would happily accept the high command’s decision, and support him.
However, a section of party leaders believed that the choice for the CM face has already been made. Sources informed The Pioneer that in initial trends, Channi is leading, “but the party wants to take its time to make the announcement along with sufficient proof so that the situation can be handled.
“I believe that the choice for the CM face has already been made, and all this is being done to satisfy some leaders. When a majority of MLAs supported Jakhar as Capt Amarinder’s replacement, he was rejected and Channi was made the Chief Minister...what I mean to say that party high command is the sole authority and everybody should accept its decision,” said a senior party, who did not wish to be named.
WHAT FAVOURS CHANNI
When Channi was elevated to the top post and became Punjab’s first dalit Chief Minister, he would not have ever thought that he would lead the party in the crucial elections. However, there are some factors that favour Channi.
Channi has been associated with the Congress for a long time, while Sidhu is a turncoat and is just five-year-old in the grand old party. Channi has rise to this level after starting from the bottom level. He was municipal councillor and president, before he was elected as MLA, and later the Minister.
He was also the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Apart from this, many MLAs are also backing Channi as party’s CM face.
EVERY DECISION WOULD BE ACCEPTED: CHANNI
Chief Minister Channi, expressing his gratitude to the people of the state for “liking him, and making him popular”, on Thursday said that whoever is chosen as the party's face, he will “respect and follow” it.
Speculations are rife that Channi will be announced as the CM face ever since the party released its third list of candidates for Punjab Assembly elections on January 30 where it was shown that the incumbent CM has been fielded from two seats — Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib.
“I myself wanted to fight from Malwa (Bhadaur) as it is a backward region that needs a lot of development, and second seat — Chamkaur Sahib is a seat from where in the last 50 years, the Congress party has just won once. I like tough challenges. And I am sure that I will be able to overcome this challenge,” he said.
WAS NEVER IN CM RACE, NO VOTING HELD BEFORE ME: CHANNI
Amidst the roaring controversy over Jakhar’s claims of having support of 42 MLAs claiming that only two voted in Channi’s favour as Capt Amarinder’s replacement, the Chief Minister, while talking with a national news channel, asserted that “no voting occurred in front of me”.
“I was told at the last moment that I am being made Chief Minister,” he added.