CONG INSIDERS SAY LEADERSHIP CHANGE CARRIED OUT SMOOTHLY

NEW DELHI: The Congress’s Punjab plan went off smoothly with the removal of Amarinder Singh as chief minister and finding a suitable replacement in Charanjit Singh Channi, 58, party insiders said. Two senior leaders told HT that while the high command took the final call that the Congress government in Punjab required an urgent reshuffle at the top, the leadership was also clear that it should preferably be someone other than state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat on Sunday said that the upcoming state assembly elections will be fought under Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who is “very popular”, given the state’s present political circumstances.

Speaking to ANI here today, Rawat said, “It (Congress face for upcoming state assembly polls) will be decided by the Congress president, but given the circumstances, elections will be fought with the Chief Minister’s cabinet under Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, whose chief is Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is very popular.”

He added that Congress on Sunday unanimously decided to make Charanjit Singh Channi the next Chief Minister of Punjab. “The decision (to choose the new Punjab CM) was taken yesterday only. We were only waiting to meet the Governor. The party was unanimous on Charanjit Singh Channi’s name. We will try to ensure that he (Amarinder Singh) is there at oath-taking, but it’s up to him.”

He said that the names for two deputy chief ministers are yet to be decided.