Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, January 30
The Congress on Sunday began consultations with party leaders and workers on the issue of chief ministerial face in election-going Punjab amid indications of CM Charanjit Singh Channi leading the race.
Channi’s candidature from two seats—Bhadaur (SC) which the Congress lost to AAP in 2017 and Chamkaur Sahib which the CM represents in the assembly—is indicative of his heft in the party in many ways.
Also, Channi is the only party candidate to have been fielded from two seats, in signals that the Congress wants to push the SC outreach, which, surveys say, is working.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is said to have held deliberations with party leaders on the CM face with the choice between Channi and state unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Also, the Congress has sought feedback of workers on its internal app called Shakti which Rahul Gandhi uses to take worker input.
The party is also planning to launch something to seek Punjab voters’ feedback on the issue. Earlier AAP used phone calling to claim the majority voted for their CM candidate Bhagwant Mann.
Rahul Gandhi announced in his virtual rally at Jalandhar that the party would seek worker inputs before declaring the CM face in the state.
After AAP named Mann, the Congress has been under pressure to declare its CM candidate.
Punjab CM face: Congress begins discussion, feedback sought on internal app
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