February 6: Congress to announce its CM candidate

According to the sources, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said on Thursday that the name of the Congress' chief ministerial candidate for the next assembly elections in Punjab will be published on February 6.

During his political program in Sri Chamkaur Sahib, Channi told reporters that he would be present with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on that day.

"CM candidate will be announced on February 6. I will be with Rahul Gandhi on that day," Channi said when asked.

On Thursday, Jakhar told ANI, "Whatever they decide will be welcomed by all." He stated that "Channi ji has been given the opportunity," and that he should thus be allowed time to continue working. In the last four months, Jakhar said, people had noticed Channi's hard work.

Gandhi will speak at a virtual gathering in Ludhiana, his second campaign event in the state, where the announcement is expected.

After Captain Amarinder Singh resigned, Channi was sworn in as Chief Minister of Punjab in September of last year. The polling for the 2018 Punjab assembly elections will begin on February 20. On March 10, the votes will be counted.

The party is now conducting a tele-survey to solicit voter feedback, as well as soliciting feedback from other candidates and district officials, in order to select its CM candidate. Through a pre-recorded message and an interactive voice response menu, respondents are offered three options in the survey: Channi, Sidhu, or go without a CM face.

Channi hinted about the time of the declaration during an electoral meeting in Chamkaur Sahib on Thursday.  “The chief ministerial face is going to be announced. Rahul Gandhi ji will address (the rally) and I will be with him,” as told by him.

inviting people to come together to watch the rally, which will be broadcast live on social media and in all 117 assembly segments.

The fact that it was Channi who broke the news suggested that he was the front-runner in a long-running tussle with Sidhu, which had been contentious at times and friendly at others.

Gandhi declared during his first virtual rally in Punjab on January 27 that the party will field a candidate for chief minister, and that the selection will be made following consultation with party members.

This differed from the party's previous stance. For several weeks, the Congress leadership has stated that it will campaign under the "collective leadership" of Channi, Sidhu, and Sunil Jakhar, the former state head. According to sources familiar with the situation, the shift in thinking occurred as a result of pressure from state unit leaders and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominating Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate.

The tele-survey, which began four days ago, has exacerbated the conflict between the Channi and Sidhu camps. According to the sources stated above, there is rising pressure in the state unit for Channi, the state's first Dalit chief minister in seven decades, to be proclaimed the candidate. Channi entered office on September 20. They stated that a number of cabinet officials, past state unit commanders, and sitting MPs have thrown their support behind him.

“If Channi is picked, it will help us get some votes. In case he is ignored, we can image the damage,” According to a senior party leader, a significant number of Scheduled Caste voters — the state's largest single voting bloc, accounting for 32 percent of the population — are expected to support him.

Though Sidhu has been silent about the impending announcement, his wife, former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, sparked controversy on Thursday by declaring that her husband "is and will be a hero." "It doesn't matter who will be chief minister," she said, implying that he deserved to be chosen. The only thing that matters is that the CM listens to ministers, signs their files, and allows them to work."

Sidhu was also embroiled in a long-running feud with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, which led to his resignation from the cabinet in July 2019. He eventually spearheaded a revolt against Amarinder and, over Amarinder's objections, returned as state president. After some ministers and MLAs turned against him and demanded his resignation, Amarinder had to quit on September 18, 2021.

Bhagwant Mann, the AAP's state president and chief ministerial candidate, claimed the Congress was delaying the announcement of its CM candidate out of fear of a party split. He said, “Also, their (Congress) high command is still in doubt whether to announce the CM face or go into the polls without declaring one.”