After days of speculation, the Congress on Sunday appointed cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next president of the Punjab Congress. An official statement from the All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal said Mr. Sidhu and the four working presidents had been appointed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi with immediate effect. The four working presidents are S.S. Gilzian, S.S. Danny, Pawan Goel, and K.S. Nagra.
Ms. Gandhi is learned to have individually spoken to MPs from Punjab on the issue of elevating Mr. Sidhu. A senior leader from Punjab confirmed and said the Congress chief seemed “determined” on Mr. Sidhu’s elevation.
"The high command must have taken a thoughtful decision. He is young and was an active parliamentarian. He has the zeal to work so we welcome it," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. He was one of the three members deputed by the Congress high command to resolve the crisis in Punjab.
Punjab Congress MLA Nirmal Singh Shutrana, who met Sidhu after his appointment on Sunday, said there everything will be fine now. "What the high command decided is 100% right. No one is upset, everything will be alright," Shutrana was quoted as saying by ANI. He added that chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh "should have congratulated" Sidhu on his appointment.
Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ashwani Kumar have already called Sidhu an asset for the party and said they all will work together with chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to win the 2022 Punjab assembly elections.
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