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Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was again called to Delhi by the Congress high command over the issue of the expansion of the state Cabinet, just hours after he returned from the national capital.
Channi has left for Delhi again. It is the Punjab CM's third visit to the national capital in the past few days.
Channi had gone to Delhi on Thursday evening where he discussed the formation of his cabinet with Rahul Gandhi.
He had also held discussions with All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Harish Rawat.
After the meeting, Channi returned early Friday morning.
The uncertainty over the date of expansion in the Punjab cabinet and the ministers to be included in it still continues after two meetings with the party high command.
Many things have been worked out and this will be the last phase of discussion, sources told news agency ANI.
Few close aides of the former Punjab Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Captain Amrinder Singh are set to lose their place in the cabinet and new faces will replace them, according to reports.
The names of Pargat Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Surjit Dhiman, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Kuljit Singh Nagra are doing the rounds.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has remained absent from the discussion.
Meanwhile, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar is learnt to have met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
There is now speculation that Jakhar, who narrowly missed out on succeeding Amarinder Singh as CM, may be rehabilitated with some post.
Jakhar was the frontrunner for the post of the Congress Legislature Party leader.
However, party leaders, including Ambika Soni, suggested that a Sikh should occupy the top post in the state.
Earlier last week, after several rounds of parleys, Channi was selected to be the next chief minister of Punjab by Congress high command, following Captain Amarinder Singh's resignation.
These development came months before the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls.
With agency inputs
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