Snub to Sidhu? Congress picks Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab CM face

In a major blow to Navjot Singh Sidhu, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced Charanjit Singh Channi as the party's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming assembly election in Punjab. He announced the name at a rally organized in Ludhiana. 

 

 

Gandhi claimed he spoke to the Punjab people, candidates, the workers, and the youth of Punjab on who should be the chief minister candidate for Punjab. He claimed that all those wanted a poor chief minister, who ‘understands poor people’. Rahul Gandhi claimed that because of that, the choice of Punjab CM's face became easy. And hence, he chose Charanjit Singh Channi.

 

 

He said, "The CM face of Punjab is Charanjit Singh Channi. We asked Punjab and you have given us the decision. It was a tough decision to make. Punjab needs a leader who can understand the poor, feel their anxiety."

 

 

 

Before announcing the name of the CM candidate, Rahul Gandhi recalled his first meeting with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who was also in the race to become the chief ministerial's face of the party ahead of the polls. "I met Navjot Singh Sidhu 40 years ago but he doesn't know that he met RahulGandhi. I was in the Doon School where he came to play a cricket match," Rahul Gandhi said.

 

For the past several weeks, both Channi and Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post. After Rahul Gandhi made the announcement, however, Sidhu said he accepted the decision.

 

Punjab will go to the polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.

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