The turmoil in Punjab Congress seems to be calming down at the moment. On Thursday, former CM and campaign committee chairman Charanjit Singh Channi met the party leadership in Delhi. After the meeting, Channi said that we are dedicated to the party and the party line will be followed. Channi’s meeting with the high command amid the tussle in Punjab Congress and his statement indicate that at present Channi is not going to rebel. However, the political tussle between State President Amarinder Singh Raja Vading and MP Charanjit Singh Channi is likely to continue further.
The Congress party may have pacified the matter at this time but this tussle will continue till the elections. At present the high command has to take the final decision in the case of Channi and Vadding. However, it is believed that the high command is in no mood to reconsider its decision. That means the king will remain the wedding chief.
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Mahabharata will be on ticket
There are many big names in the Congress party for the post of CM. Among the names which are discussed the most, the foremost is Charanjit Singh Channi, who was made the CM by replacing Captain Amarinder Singh. The party had also declared him as the CM face in the 2022 assembly elections. However, he lost the elections from both his seats and Congress was also reduced to only 18 seats. Apart from this, Raja Vading, who will take charge of the party in 2022, is involved in this race. Apart from Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa, MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is also involved in this race.
A big question before the Congress is that to which of these leaders the party should give tickets for the assembly elections in 2027. Raja Vading, Sukhjinder Randhawa and Channi are currently members of the Lok Sabha and all three are in the race for CM. In such a situation, it will be a big challenge for the party to adjust these three leaders. Raja Vading and Randhawa had left the legislature and contested the Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, both these leaders will again demand tickets in the assembly elections.
Will the Kerala model be applicable?
Even before the assembly elections in Kerala, the Congress Party had clearly told the MPs that the party will not give ticket to any MP in the assembly elections. The Organization General Secretary of the Congress Party himself was among the ticket contenders but the party did not give him the ticket either. Political experts say that Congress may try to take such a decision in Punjab also but it will not be easy for the party. It may be very difficult to convince the three leaders involved in the CM race not to contest the elections.
Punjab Congress sources say that these three leaders and one other MP want to contest the assembly elections. The seat like Giddarbaha (Raja Vading’s seat) was captured by Raja Vading but later his wife lost in the by-election. On this seat, the party can once again express confidence in Amarinder Singh Raja Vadding. Apart from this, Sukhjinder Randhawa would also like to contest elections from his seat and the party may have to brainstorm for a candidate for this seat.
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Hit tickets for your group
The discord in the Congress party is not limited to the leaders’ own tickets. Rather, the leaders will try to get tickets to as many MLAs as possible from their group so that if they become the CM after the elections, they can get the support of the required MLAs. Many former MLAs and Halka in-charges (who had contested assembly elections) attended Channi’s meeting. All of them are hoping for tickets but Raja Vading will try to get their tickets canceled.
There is no organizational post in the lightly in-charge Congress Party, whereas Raja Vading has the support of the district presidents. In such a situation the king will demand a ticket for him. This fight can create problems for Congress. The future of Punjab Congress depends on how the Congress manages its MPs in the elections and distributes tickets among groups of leaders or whether the high command itself decides the tickets. For now, the party is planning to try to show unity for some time.
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