Cong set to name successor, Bajwa wants his say

Monday, 02/03/2015

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CHANDIGARH: Appointed as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief in March 2013, Partap Singh Bajwa may be on his way out this month.

According to Congress sources, the party had been holding consultations for the change of guard in Punjab with senior leaders and was waiting for the civic body polls to end. The poor show in these polls and the rout on his home turf, Majha, sealed the fate of the embattled state chief who was facing dissent from a majority of MLAs and old-timers.

Bajwa on Sunday dismissed the news flashed by a television channel on Saturday evening and carried by some newspapers the next day about his being replaced as “speculative”.

He also rubbished rumours that he has put in his papers. “I have made my inquiries from Delhi. Discussions are on for several states and Punjab could be one. But till now, I have not been taken into confidence on it,” he told HT.

Incidentally, former chief minister and deputy leader of party in the Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh was also not consulted when he was replaced by Bajwa, though the former had written a damning letter to party president Sonia Gandhi against him. Though Bajwa seemed resigned to his fate, he wants a say on the selection of his successor.

Former minister and senior MLA Lal Singh and Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar are frotrunners for the Punjab Congress chief ’s post, but Singh is likely to bag it, say sources.

Bajwa, who does see either as a consensus candidate, said: “I will share my views on the consensus candidate when asked. They are bringing in a change for unity in the party and cannot overlook my views, as I also have the support of grassroots-level workers and many Congressmen have struggled with me for the party.”

All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and in charge for Punjab Shakeel Ahmed also did not rule out the possibility of change in the party leadership in the state. “I will not rule it out but no decision has been taken as yet,” he said. He also denied that Bajwa had put in his papers. Bajwa’s supportes say the appointment of Lal Singh would mean handing over all three important posts — CLP leader, PPCC chief and later the campaign committee head — to the Amarinder camp as he is likely to be given the task to chair the campaign committee ahead of the 2017 assembly polls.

CLP leader-Jakhar is a confidant of Amarinder and the latter was keen to have him replace Bajwa. Lal Singh, an OBC leader, too is seen as a Amarinder loyalist by the Bajwa camp as he was present in all shows of strength by Amarinder.

Lal Singh, when contacted, said discussions on the change of guard were on, but there is no confirmation on it.

The party is mulling appointing a working president to keep the warring factions at bay.

The strategy is to have an organisational man to handle the party affairs in Punjab while having a popular face to garner votes. If appointed, it would be Lal Singh’s second stint as the working president of the party. He was earlier appointed the working president in the runup to the 2009 Lok Sabha polls when then Punjab Congress chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee was to contest from Jalandhar and Amarinder was made the campaign committee head.