Capt coronation on March 16
Monday, 13/03/2017
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NEW INNINGS Congress Legislature Party elects Amarinder Singh as its leader; with three strong leaders out of way and a shakier high command, Captain far better placed in 2017 than 2002.
CHANDIGARH : Captain Amarinder Singh, who steered his party to an emphatic win in Punjab assembly polls, was on Sunday formally elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
Punjab chief ministerdesignate Captain Amarinder Singh being welcomed by Congress leaders Asha Kumari, Charanjit Singh Channi, Harish Chaudhary and Ashok Gehlot ahead of the CLP meeting in Chandigarh on Sunday.
Amarinder later met Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore and staked claim to form the next government in the state.
“The swearing-in will take place at 10 am in Chandigarh on March 16. A few ministers too will take oath along with me,” said Amarinder after meeting the governor. He, however, said the size and ministers of cabinet would be decided after his meeting with AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.
After reaching Chandigarh from Patiala, Amarinder was unanimously elected as the CLP leader at the Congress Bhawan here. Though as CM this time, Amarinder won’t have to look over his shoulder as the party high command has been further weakened by poll drubbing in UP and Uttarakhand and the Gandhis need him more than ever before,
Going by internal party dynamics, Am arin der is far more well placed in 2017 than he was in 2002, the first time he became the CM. For one, he had ensured a majority of the tickets went to his loyalists. So the CLP is packed with his loyalists and even the party’s three senior-most leaders are now out of the way.
He had debarred his rival and former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal from changing her seat, Lehra, where she was facing four-term anti-incumbency by bringing in the “no swap” rule for sitting MLAs on general seats.
Former leader of opposition Sunil Jakhar who was sulking after Amarinder did not bat for his Rajya Sabha nomination, too, has lost his bastion Abohar. Amarinder’s other rule of ‘one family, one ticket’ kept another potential power centre, Lal Singh, out of the poll race. Lal’s son, Rajinder Singh, has won the Samana seat.
Though Fatehjang Bajwa, the younger brother of his other bitter critic, RS MP Partap Bajwa, has won, he poses no threat of dissidence to Amarinder. “Now there are only loyalists in the new CLP. But in his last term as CM, Amarinder is not likely to play the favourites’ card. He will go by merit and seniority,” a senior party leader said.
