Chandigarh: The Congress which came to power five years ago with a thumping majority of 77 legislators out of the 117-member House, was reduced to humiliating 18 seats on counting day Thursday for which it would better blame itself more than anything else.
Just about six months ago, the bad blood and bickering in the party spilled over leading to the unceremonious exit of the then CM Capt Amarinder Singh. Congress, though, made a tactical shift in its original strategy of going into the polls under a “collective leadership” and declared incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit, as its CM candidate. The decision was with an eye on the 32% Dalit votes in the state, highest in the country.
Besides, it also eyed on cutting into the SAD ally BSP’s vote bank as well as the AAP stronghold – Malwa region – by asking Channi to fight from Bhadaur seat there.
However, the signs of fresh bickering soon came to fore when top leaders including state unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu, election campaign committee chairman Sunil Jakhar, deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who were among the frontrunners to replace Capt Amarinder Singh as the chief minister in September last year, settled for Channi before the party, were nowhere to be seen in the Congress’ candidates or Channi’s campaigns.
Also missing from the scene included Patiala MP Preneet Kaur who obviously campaigned for her husband Capt Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress, while Khadoor Sahib MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa, whose brother Harpinder Singh Gill recently switched loyalties to the SAD, became vocal against Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary for what he termed as the mess in the state party. The party’s Rajya Sabha member and SC leader Shamsher Dullo, too, has hit out at Chaudhary and Channi, looking askance at the ticket distribution.
Interestingly enough, among the other party rebels was Channi’s brother Dr Manohar Singh, who fought from Bassi Pathana constituency (district Fatehgarh Sahib) against Congress’ sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh. The Congress’ four-time MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon fought as independent from his Samrala (district Ludhiana) seat after the Congress decided to replace him with Rupinder Singh Raja Gill.
In Tanwandi Sabo constituency the three-time former MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, a relative of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh contested against party candidate Khushbaz Singh Jattana, while the sitting MLA at Nawanshahr seat Angad Singh contested as independent after being replaced with Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki.
Notably, the Cabinet minister Rana Gurjeet’s son Rana Inder Partap Singh, fought from Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district as an independent against the party candidate Navtej Singh Cheema. Besides, former state Congress president Mohinder Singh Kaypee and former minister Jagmohan Singh Kang were also said to be anguished with the party’s selection for candidates in their respective seats.
