Why Channi, what next for Sidhu as Rahul Gandhi announces CM face

After suffering a series of electoral debacles in the recent past, the Congress seems to have decided to roll the dice in Punjab.

In a rare move, Rahul Gandhi, who is considered to be the de-facto chief of the party, announced the Congress' chief ministerial face for the upcoming elections. Amid stiff competition from Navjot Singh Sidhu, Gandhi declared incumbent CM Charanjit Singh Channi as the CM face.

ALSO WATCH | Charanjit Singh Channi is Congress' CM face for Punjab, setback for Sidhu

This comes after months of veiled jibes flying between the CM and the state Congress chief revealed the infighting in the party in one of the handful of states it rules.

But will the announcement of the CM candidate end, or intensify, the tussle for dominance?

Preceding Gandhi's arrival in the state, Sidhu had declared that all would abide by the leader's decision. Gandhi reached the venue in a car driven by another Congress veteran believed to be miffed with the high command - Sunil Jakhar. Meanwhile, Channi and Sidhu sat in the rear seat.

At the venue where Gandhi announced the decision, scenes of bonhomie were seen between Channi, Sidhu, and Jakhar. During Sidhu's emotional speech, he reportedly received a hug from Channi. Both Sidhu and Jakhar reportedly praised Gandhi for making Channi the CM after Amarinder Singh resigned. Channi is Punjab's first CM who belongs to the Dalit community.

At the event, Gandhi reiterated that the choice for the CM candidate was made according to tele-voting by party workers and the people of the state. Both Sidhu and Jakhar reportedly said that they would work with the CM candidate.

However, just days earlier, the voices weren't so harmonious.

Recently, Sidhu was quoted as saying at a gathering that "those at the top want a weak CM, who will dance to their tunes". While some considered this as an attack on the Gandhis, Sidhu's team insisted that he was referring to the Modi government at the Centre preferring a subservient administration in the state.

Also, amid the controversy over the arrest of Channi's nephew in an Enforcement Directorate case, Sidhu had reportedly said that people want someone 'honest' as the CM.

Sidhu had led the rebellion which led to Amarinder Singh's exit from the Congress. The cricketer-turned-politician seems to have been staking claim for the top job ever since.

Meanwhile, Sunil Jakhar was recently quoted in reports as saying that when Amarinder Singh resigned, 42 out of 79 Congress MLAs had supported Jakhar to be the next CM, while only 2 had backed Channi. However, he had also claimed that he is not in the fray to be the CM candidate.

Now, with the high command throwing its weight behind Channi, has the tug-of-war ended, or just abated till the contenders find another opportune moment?

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