Punjab Election 2022: Congress likely to announce its CM candidate on Feb 6

Rahul Gandhi confirmed that the party would fight the polls with a CM face, and the decision will be taken shortly after consulting party workers.

Team Newsable

Ludhiana, First Published Feb 3, 2022, 1:29 PM IST | Last Updated Feb 3, 2022, 1:29 PM IST

The Congress will possibly declare its Chief Minister candidate for Punjab on February 6, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state, PTI reported. This will end the lengthy discussion, whether who will be the Congress CM's face, the incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi or the state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Following the PTI, Rahul Gandhi will possibly reveal the name during his visit to the state ahead of the polls on Sunday. In his recent visit on January 27, in the polls bounded state, Gandhi confirmed that the party would fight the polls with a CM face, and the decision will be taken shortly after consulting party workers. Gandhi also confirmed both the leaders had assured him whosoever is picked; the other will support him.

Gandhi's statement comes after Sidhu insisted on the leader's rally to declare the CM face for the polls. Meantime, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has already begun consultations with the party leaders and workers. The party seeks responses from the Congress leaders and workers through the Shakti app. Not only workers, but the party also sought the opinion of common people on the issue.

Also Read: Punjab Election 2022: Charanjit Singh Channi declares assets worth Rs 9.44 crore

Since the election campaign began in the state, both Channi and Sidhu directly or indirectly have projected themselves as the party's CM face. Congress appears to be putting its weight behind Channi, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and has been fielded from two assembly seats of Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.

The Congress's traditional vote bank has been the SCs and Scheduled Tribes (STs), but they have drifted away from the party since the emergence of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and some other small groups. By picking Channi, Congress hopes to consolidate the SC vote bank, accounting for nearly one-third of Punjab's population.

Also Read: Road rage case: Supreme Court to hear review petition against Navjot Singh Sidhu

Elections for the 117-member Punjab Assembly will be held on February 20, with the results announced on March 10. The nomination period, which began on January 25, will end on February 1. The nominations will be scrutinized on February 2, and the deadline for withdrawal of candidature is February 4.

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