5 leaders, 1 post: Congress searches for its next Punjab captain ahead of polls

With the saffron party upping its ante in Punjab and the ruling AAP putting in all its might to retain the only state it governs, the road ahead for the Congress appears fraught with hurdles. Sources told India Today that the Congress leadership is looking at a revamped state unit to take on the challenge.

TAKEAWAY 1: HIGH COMMAND CLOSES IN ON LEADERSHIP CHANGE

The party high command has held a series of meetings and is closing in on a decision regarding a leadership change in Punjab. More importantly, the committee appointed to assess the political situation and identify who could lead the party into the upcoming Assembly elections has already submitted its report.

TAKEAWAY 2: RAHUL GANDHI'S ONE-ON-ONE WITH TOP FIVE CONTENDERS

Amid all this, Rahul Gandhi has held one-on-one meetings with the top five contenders for the party's top post in the state.

A senior Congress leader said, "It's taking a lot of time. There should be a decision sooner rather than later. We already met Kharge ji and Rahul ji, then the party appointed observers. We had a series of meetings with Ajay Maken and Meenakshi Natarajan. The decision should be out in a day or two."

TAKEAWAY 3: FIVE LEADERS GRILLED ON PUNJAB'S POLITICAL FUTURE

Sunday was a significant day, with Rahul Gandhi meeting top Punjab Congress leaders. Five leaders were called for individual meetings with Gandhi.

Former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, CLP leader Pratap Singh Bajwa, farmer MLA Vijay Inder Singla, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were asked a series of questions relating to the politics of the border state during their interaction with Rahul Gandhi.

A senior leader privy to the meeting said, "He asked multiple questions about what's going to happen in Punjab. What is the political situation? What is the agenda in Punjab? He also asked who do you think is the best leader who will stand up for the Congress. What is the issue with the current state unit?" he said, not wanting to be quoted.

TAKEAWAY 4: CONGRESS BRACES FOR TRIANGULAR FIGHT

Congress is walking a very tightrope. The contest could well be tri-cornered, with the BJP's heightened interest following the exodus of AAP MPs. The BJP is banking on fresh intake from AAP - Raghav Chaddha and Sandeep Pathak, who are well versed with the internal working of their former party.

The Congress party will be looking to wrest power back from the Aam Aadmi Party and counter the BJP by reaching out to Hindu voters while retaining its Sikh vote bank.

The ghost of the past could be haunting the party. Having been burnt once before, the leadership appears wary of repeating mistakes made during the previous change of guard, which eventually resulted in Captain Amarinder Singh's exit from the party and a rout in the Assembly elections. That explains the marathon process of deliberations while keeping a close eye on rivals.

TAKEAWAY 5: SOCIAL BALANCING AND FEAR OF PAST MISTAKES

The party could be looking to bring in a leadership trio that would represent the Jat Sikh, Dalit Sikh and Hindu communities.

The name of Vijay Inder Singla, who is an AICC secretary, is doing the rounds. A former MP from Sangrur, Singla is one of the prominent Hindu faces in the Congress and comes from the crucial Malwa region, which has nearly 69 Assembly constituencies.

In 2014, he lost the Lok Sabha election from Sangrur to Bhagwant Singh Mann, who later went on to become Punjab chief minister.

Another leader who could be in the reckoning for the top job is Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, who made a comeback in the Lok Sabha elections after losing both Assembly constituencies he contested as the incumbent chief minister in the previous Assembly elections.

Veteran Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa is already the CLP leader and could probably balance the equation as far as Jat Sikh representation is concerned.

However, a senior Punjab leader said, "Punjab politics is fought on a very different turf, and it is not divided into caste representation like UP or Bihar. The choice of who would lead Congress will be determined by who could pose the biggest challenge to the ruling AAP and lead the party aggressively."

- Ends