JOIN USPutting an end to speculation, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday declared Capt Amarinder Singh as the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate for Punjab.
The announcement comes as a shot in the arm for Amarinder who has been openly advocating the dire need for the party high command to announce its chief ministerial face ahead of every election as a precedent.
Amarinder is contesting the elections from two Assembly segments – in Lambi against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and from his home turf of Patiala. Singh has declared this would be his last elections.
The announcement was made at a rally in Majitha. There were rumours that the Congress had offered Navjot Singh Sidhu the chief minister’s post, though he has denied it.
The Akali-BJP combine has already made it clear that its chief ministerial candidate for the ensuing elections would be Parkash Singh Badal.
Guarded secret
The Aam Aadmi Party has kept the decision a closely guarded secret, though national convener Arvind Kejriwal has declared that a Dalit would be the deputy chief minister.
Many in the Congress opine that the party should not announce a chief ministerial face since it is the prerogative of the elected representatives.
Even in the last Assembly elections, Rahul had publicly named Amarinder as the chief ministerial candidate but it did not help.Meanwhile, Rahul on Friday accused the Badals of widespread corruption in every sphere of governance and for failing to check the flow of drugs.
DH News Service