The Congress party has reportedly worked on a formula to end the infighting in its Punjab unit. As per the formula, Navjot Singh Sidhu is likely to be appointed as the Punjab Congress chief along with two other working presidents.
The Congress is mulling an idea of appointing a Dalit and a Hindu as working presidents. The names of Raj Kumar Verka and Santokh Chaudhary are being considered for working president as both are Dalits and can counter the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance impact, reported news agency IANS. While another from Hindu community is to balance the equation and Vijay Inder Singla could be appointed as another working president, the report added.
Sources told IANS that the formula has been devised after the meeting with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
Meanwhile, according to an NDTV report, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is not on board with Navjot Singh Sidhu's elevation as Punjab Congress chief. Reportedly, both the factions are holding meetings with their supporting MLAs and MPs.
Earlier on Tuesday, Congress general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat said there will be good news for the Punjab Congress in the next 3-4 days. He also said that changes in the Punjab Cabinet and the organisation would be carried out within 2-3 days.
"Punjab will get a new PCC chief and a few new faces in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh,” Rawat told The Indian Express. He also added that Singh will remain in the post. “There will be no change in the CM. Nobody demanded any change at that level. People had a few issues. Those will be sorted out. Also, the party has to take many factors into consideration. It has to work out the right role for the right person,” he said.
For the uninitiated, Sidhu has been at loggerheads with the chief minister, attacking him on several issues like the alleged delay in the completion of a probe into the 2015 desecration of Sikh texts and the subsequent police firing on protesters.
This comes at a time when the party unit is gearing up for the Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place next year. Besides, Punjab is crucial for Congress as it is one of the few states where the party is in power and the outcome will have an impact on the party's prospects outside the state as well.