In a surprising turn of events, Capt. Amarinder Singh resigned as Punjab CM on Saturday, September 18. Now, congress leaders in contention will be looked hard and deep by the party. It’s also being reported that the party will be announcing the new Punjab CM as early as Sunday evening. The news comes after Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed as Punjab Congress leader, which was a cause of dismay for the ex-Punjab Chief Minister.
Details
To say that ex-Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh had a turbulent time during his second tenure of his CMship will be an understatement.
From the power crisis that he was called out on by Navjot Singh Sidhu, to him failing on waging the war against the drug problem in the state, Captain’s failures stacked high in the past few years.
Amid raised brows and dismay from his own party, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as CM on Saturday this week.
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The Facts of the Matter
Citing “humiliation” he received from his own party, Congress leader Amarinder Singh submitted his resignation to his state’s governor on September 18. By doing so, he became the first Punjab Chief Minister in the past 24 years to leave his CM seat before the completion of his second term.
The Congress Meeting that Angered Capt.
Earlier on Friday, September 17, the political rumour mills were rife with speculations. The was triggered after a high-profile meeting was held among the top brass of the Punjab Congress party. Speculations were made that the meeting was held to discuss a change in the leadership. For obvious reasons, this did not go down well with Capt. Singh, who was being sidelined by his own party
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“Humiliated” by Congress, “Upto Them to Appoint Anyone”
On Saturday, Capt. Singh announced that he was going to resign from his post and had spoken about the move with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. While speaking with reporters, Capt. Singh said that he was “humiliated” by his party thrice in the last couple of months. He claimed that as he felt that his own party doesn’t have confidence in him, he has decided to resign from the post of the state’s Chief Minister.
“I felt humiliated at the manner in which they handled the whole affair… It’s now up to them to appoint anyone they trust,” Mr. Singh said, as quoted by an NDTV report.
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Capt. & His Future with Congress
When he was asked about the obvious follow-up question regarding his future with Congress, he claimed that an option of forming a new party is there and he will “use that option when the time comes”. “At the moment I am still in Congress,” Mr. Singh commented.
Congress Leaders in Contention for the vacant Punjab CM Seat
Ahead of the 2022 state elections, Punjab is thrown into a political bedlam with Congress now scrambling to test new options. After the resignation of Capt. Singh, these congress leaders are in the contention for the vacant Punjab CM seat.
1) Ambika Soni
While the name of Congress veteran Ambika Soni was ahead of most leaders, Soni on Sunday clarified that she would like to have a Sikh leader as the state’s Chief Minister. Reportedly, Soni spoke to the top-brass of Congress and claimed that after feeling a connection with the state, she feels that a Sikh person must be made the Chief Minister of the state.
2) Sunil Jakhar
Amid the ongoing Farmer’s crisis, Jakhar has the edge of being the only political leader that’s also a Hindu farmer in the state. A 3-time MLA, he has been leader of the opposition party during the Shiromani Akali Dal – BJP coalition.
3) Partap Singh Bajwa
Bajwa is one of the most senior leaders of the Congress party. A 3-time MLA, Bajwa was also the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Known for his approachability, he has good relations with the top brass of BJP and other opposition parties.
