Even before the resignation of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), speculations were rife as to who would be appointed to the post next.
The appointment would be a significant one, owing to the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, expected to held in February next year. Pargat has been consistent in his criticism of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the state and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. This triggered retaliation from a rival faction led by Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
The turmoil in Congress’s Punjab unit escalated after July 1, when the central leadership initially chose to retain Warring as head of the PPCC.
Warring submitted his resignation to the party high command after being informed of its decision to replace him, Congress sources said, according to an earlier HT report . He has also, in the past, claimed a political collusion between AAP and BJP, while accusing the state machinery of turning Punjab into a “police state” to suppress dissent, according to ANI.
On the possibility of him being appointed the next Punjab Congress president, Singla had said there was no such issue to his knowledge, news agency ANI reported. With the party leadership expected to announce his successor shortly, two names have emerged as frontrunners for the post – former state minister Vijay Inder Singla and former minister Pargat Singh. Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh is also in the running for the role. However, he added that he had always carried out the responsibilities assigned to him by the party and would continue to do so in the future. Singla is currently the chairperson of the Congress election management and coordination committee.
Former minister and ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as the frontrunner for the post ahead of the polls in Punjab, Congress sources said. Amid the reshuffle buzz, former PWD minister Singla had earlier said that he was a “loyal soldier” of the party, and asserted that all party leaders were working together under the leadership of Warring.
