Unlike in the past, the Congress in Punjab has been able to put up a united front so far in the poll-bound state. Notorious for its factionalism, which always surges when elections are round the corner, the Congress is not witnessing any serious factionalism this time.
PPCC president Amarinder Singh is not facing any resistance from senior Congress leaders of the state, unlike in the previous Assembly elections.
All senior state Congress leaders like Jagmeet Singh Brar, former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and MP Partap Singh Bajwa are not making any serious noises for the chief minister’s post, which was the norm earlier.
In fact, Mr Bajwa, who was very vocal critic of Capt. Amarinder Singh earlier, has now had a change of heart. He has already stated that Capt. Amarinder Singh is the most suitable person for the chief minister’s position.
As far as Mr Brar is concerned, he has declared that “I am not in the race for the chief minister’s position”.
Former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who was a political bête noire of Capt. Amarinder Singh at one point, has now built bridges with the Punjab PCC president. She has even praised Capt. Amarinder Singh, describing him as a crowdpuller for the party. Even though she has said that “I aspire to be chief minister”, she has not made any political moves to suggest that she is serious about fulfilling her aspirations.
Sources say that as per the first list of ticket applicants compiled on December 12, these senior leaders are only pushing for the tickets of their kith and kin. Ms Bhattal is seeking tickets for her brother and her son. Similarly, Mr Brar wants a ticket for his brother from Kotkapura. Mr Bajwa wants tickets for his wife as well as his brother. Political observers feel the primary reason for the unity is the fact that the Congress high command is not in a mood to damage the party’s prospects.