The Congress party will not declare its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming 2022 Punjab Assembly elections due to internal fighting in state unit, sources close to the Congress high command told India Today.
"Factionalism continues to be a major worry for the central leadership. The infighting has not only weakened the party organisation but has also left the Congress workers befuddled," the sources said.
According to the report, the Congress high command has conveyed to the Punjab unit that the polls will be fought under collective leadership of Navjot Singh Sidhu (Jat face), Charanjit Singh Channi (Dalit face) and Sunil Jakhar (Hindu face).
Meanwhile, two Punjab Congress MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today. Among them is Congress MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa, the brother of senior party leader and MP Pratap Bajwa. The other one is Balwinder Singh Laddi, Congress MLA from Hargobindpur.
"If something has to be done for Punjab then only PM Narendra Modi's vision will be successful. How can progress be made by a leaderless party where no decision will be taken? We will work towards getting BJP into the hearts of the people. Following the repeal of farm laws and apology by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people understood that he is a grounded leader," Bajwa said after joining the BJP.
Assembly polls in Punjab are slated for early next year.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) had won 15 and 3 seats respectively.
