Punjab: Captain Amarinder Singh gets his way, state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa quits

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According to sources, the frontrunners for the post of CLP leader are Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Chamkaur Sahib MLA Charanjit Singh Channi. Sources said AICC general secretary Ambika Soni could head the party’s campaign committee for the assembly elections due in January 2017, keeping in mind the caste equations.

AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Shakeel Ahmed said the resignations of Bajwa and Jakhar had been accepted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and their replacements would be announced soon. Singh is learnt to have proposed Dharamsot as the CLP leader.

The issue of a leadership change in the party’s Punjab unit has been on the discussion table for long. While the high command had agreed to replace Bajwa, it was not ready to hand over the reins to Singh.

Rahul was reluctant to appoint Singh, the argument being that caving in to such pressure tactics would set a precedent and trigger similar demands in other states. Another argument was that Singh had led the party to defeat, both in 2007 and 2012.

Then there were allegations that Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur and son Raninder Singh held foreign back accounts.

The fear was that the BJP — as also the AAP which is said to be gaining ground in Punjab — would raise the bogey of black money to target the Congress, leaving it vulnerable. The high command considered many names, including Singh’s nominees like Lal Singh and Jakhar, after it decided to replace Bajwa.

The high command later zeroed in on Soni, but Singh vetoed the move. At one point, Bajwa alleged that Singh was planning to leave the party and float a new outfit called the Punjab Vikas Party. Earlier this week, Singh admitted that Punjab Vikas Party was one of 49 names that were suggested to him, and he could form his own party.

In the face of pressure from Singh, Rahul held meetings with all the MLAs, district party presidents and even municipal leaders to gauge their mood.

He finally chose the path of practical politics and asked Bajwa to step down.