Capt pads up as Bajwa, Jakhar quit

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 26

Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa today quit from his post and party president Sonia Gandhi accepted his resignation, in a development that would pave the way for the long-awaited reshuffle of the party in the poll-bound state.

Sources said former Chief Minister and party's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh was set to replace Bajwa as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president and an announcement on the restructuring was likely to be made in a day or two.

Sonia has also accepted the resignation of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar, whose retention Capt Amarinder had long demanded. The party had maintained from the beginning that it would like to effect a "comprehensive reshuffle" and both PPCC and CLP posts would be revisited.

Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab Shakeel Ahmad told The Tribune: “The Congress president has accepted the resignations of PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa and CLP leader Sunil Jakhar. The reshuffle will be announced in a day or two.”

Sources said Capt Amarinder would take over as the PPCC president and Lal Singh or Charanjit Channi were among those being considered for the CLP leader's position.

The post of campaign committee chairperson is expected to go to former Union Minister Ambika Soni and her possible deputy in the panel could be Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.

The party leaders said they would strike a balance of Jat, Hindu, Dalit and OBC leadership in the new committee. The party is likely to accommodate Bajwa in the AICC. The reshuffle would follow months of deliberations on the issue with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi personally leading the dialogue.

The reorganisation was triggered by Capt Amarinder who rebelled against Bajwa telling Sonia that she would have to effect changes if she wanted the “Congress to win Punjab”. The Congress had lost the 2012 elections in Punjab despite Rahul naming Capt Amarinder as the Congress CM candidate.