After victory in Punjab civic polls, Congress launches 'Captain for 2022'

Buoyed by the victories in civic polls, Congress on Thursday virtually launched the campaign for the Assembly elections next year with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as its face.

In the civic polls results declared on Wednesday, Congress wrested 1,199 of the 1,815 municipal wards and 281 out of the 350 municipal corporation seats relegating rival Akali Dal to a distant second position.

“The victory in the civic elections is a decisive vote against the farm policies pursued by the BJP government at the Centre,” AICC general secretary (in-charge of Punjab) Harish Rawat told DH. He said “no doubt the Assembly elections in the state will be contested with Amarinder Singh as the face of the Congress party.

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The state Congress, under the leadership of PCC chief Sunil Jakhar, launched the ‘Captain for 2022’ campaign describing the chief minister as the “undisputed leader” of the state. “The message is clear that people have voted for the chief minister. The result will serve as a launchpad for Captain Amarinder Singh as the CM face in 2022,” Jakhar said.

“Captain Amarinder Singh has emerged as the real captain and undisputed leader of the state leading Congress party from the front and steering it to victory in every electoral battle since 2017,” senior leader and state minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said. The Congress won a clear majority in six of the seven corporations, including in Bhatinda, considered to be a bastion of the Akali Dal and in the Gurdaspur-Pathankot region which is a stronghold of the BJP.

Amarinder-led Congress had ousted the 10-year-old Akali Dal-BJP government in 2017 by winning a two-thirds majority. He completes four years in the saddle next month and the civic polls win has proved to be a perfect launchpad for the party’s campaign for next year’s Assembly elections.