How Channi choice was made

Charatjit Singh Channi, who will be the next Chief Minister of Punjab, was neither the Congress high command’s first choice nor the unanimous choice of the Congress Legislature Party. His elevation, as the state’s first Dalit CM, capped a day of hectic and desperate lobbying by several senior leaders with an unusual Sikh versus Hindu CM narrative thrown into the mix. With Channi’s elevation, the high command has also ensured that state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu is kept under check while allowing him to emerge as the party’s Jat face. It hopes that the elevation of a Dalit leader will not be challenged by various factions and their leaders who were eyeing the top post.