The Congress Legislature Party meeting had passed a resolution authorising Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on new CM.
The Congress central leadership is likely to finalise the name of the next Punjab Chief Minister by tonight or Sunday morning, party sources said on Saturday. Sources said All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers will stay in Chandigharh till the next Chief Minister is finalised.
The Congress Legislature Party meeting had earlier in the day passed a resolution authorising Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on the new Chief Minister. Capt Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister ahead of the CLP meeting and expressed his unhappiness over the way the situation had been handled by the party leadership.
The sources further said former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar is being seen as the frontrunner for the post and other names doing the rounds include former union minister Ambika Soni and Punjab Minister Vijay Inder Singla.
"But Congress will not contest next Assembly polls under the new Chief Minister`s leadership," a source said.Punjab is slated to go to the polls early next year. Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned as Chief citing continued humiliation by the Congress leadership over the past two months.
The Chief Minister made it clear that he would explore and exercise his future options when the time comes.Captain Amarinder Singh said he would decide his future political course of action in consultation with his supporters who have stood by him for over five decades.
"There is always an option, and I will use that option when the time comes...at the moment I am still in Congress," he said after submitting his resignation."I was humiliated three times by the Congress leadership in the past two months...they called the MLAs to Delhi twice and now convened CLP here in Chandigarh today," said Amarinder Singh, adding that he had decided and informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the morning that he would resign.
CHOICES
Navjot Singh Sidhu
It is obvious with the ongoing tussle in Congress that Navjot Singh Sidhu is one of the top contenders for the chief ministerial position. He currently holds the position of the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.
The trouble began when Sidhu was appointed as chief of the PCC and Amarinder Singh strongly opposed it. Sidhu joined the Congress party in 2017 and was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East.
Sunil Jakhar
Another member of Congress who is eyeing the chief ministerial position is Sunil Jakhar. He may seem unlikely to hold a post but as the Aam Aadmi Party is gaining its power in Punjab, Congress might have to consider a non-Sikh candidate for elections.
Jakhar has been elected thrice consecutively from the Abohar constituency from 2002 to 2017. He was also elected from Gurdaspur, Punjab to the Lok Sabha the Lower House of Parliament in a by-election.
Pratap Singh Bajwa
Pratap Singh Bajwa is the MP of Rajya Sabha from Punjab and has represented Gurdaspur from 2009-2014 as a member of Lok Sabha.
He began his political career in 1976 as a student and became the President of Youth Congress in 1982 and later the President of State Congress.
Ambika Soni
Ambika Soni was elected as the President of the Indian Youth Congress in 1975 where she worked closely with Sanjay Gandhi. In 1976 she was elected to Rajya Sabha and later in 1988, she became the President of the All India Mahila Congress.
She has served as the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1999 to 2006. She was also the Minister of Tourism and Minister of Culture in UPA I government from 2006 to 2009.
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