‘I believe the CM of Punjab should…’: Ambika Soni rejected top post | Latest News India

Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni on Sunday said she had been asked by the central leadership to become Punjab’s next chief minister, after Amarinder Singh resigned a day earlier, calling it “humiliating”. As the Congress party deliberates on the question of who will be the next chief minister of Punjab, Ambika Soni’s name has come up as one of the frontrunners for the top post in the poll-bound state. However, the senior leader said he does not want to become the CM of Punjab.

“I have turned down the offer (to become the next chief minister of Punjab). A party meeting is being held in Chandigarh and the general secretary and observers are taking written submissions from all MLAs,” Ambika said.・Mr. Soni told reporters. Asked whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi had accepted her decision not to become Punjab chief minister, she said, “I explained my idea to her party president and they accepted my opinion.” “He gave me a lot of help.”

“It has been my belief, not from today but for the past 50 years, that the face of Punjab, the chief minister, should be a Sikh. It is the only state in the country where a Sikh can be appointed as the chief minister.” He also did not reveal the name of the person who could become the state’s next chief minister.

Ambika Soni also said that the party will decide who will be the next Chief Minister of Punjab by Sunday.

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The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting to elect Punjab’s next chief minister following the resignation of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was postponed earlier in the day. Harish Rawat, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee for Punjab affairs, and two central observers, Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary, will be attending the CLP meeting in Chandigarh.

Apart from newly appointed Punjab Congress unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Punjab Congress unit chiefs Sunil Jakhar and Pratap Bajwa are said to be the frontrunners for the top job in the state. There is. Ministers Sukhvinder Randhawa, Sukhvinder Singh Sarkaria and Tripto Rajinder Singh Bajwa are also said to be candidates for the post of Punjab chief minister. Other candidates include party leaders Brahm Mohindra and Vijay Inder Singla, Punjab Assembly sitting president Kuljit Singh Nagra and MP Partap Singh Bajwa.

Also read | Captain resigns as Punjab CM says ‘humiliating’

The CLP on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution giving Congress president Sonia Gandhi the power to appoint a new chief minister for Punjab following the resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh. On Saturday, the party had sought oral representations from MLAs and discussed several issues as well, and now they have been asked to submit written submissions on the same. Party leaders said their views will be conveyed to the central parliamentary leadership and a final decision will be taken as soon as possible.

Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister on Saturday ahead of a party meeting in the faction-crowded state where assembly polls are expected to be held early next year.