Punjab Congress Set for Major Reshuffle Ahead of Assembly Elections

The Punjab Congress is gearing up for a major organisational reshuffle. According to party sources, the Congress is likely to announce new responsibilities in the state unit in view of the upcoming assembly elections. Sources say that former minister Vijay Inder Singla is likely to be made the new state president of Punjab Congress, while former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi is likely to be made the chairman of the election campaign committee. Senior leader Pargat Singh is likely to be given the responsibility of the leader of opposition in the assembly. According to sources, the Congress leadership is working on a strategy to consolidate its traditional vote bank in Punjab. Vijay Inder Singla, a minister in former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh's government, is a prominent Hindu face. In view of the growing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party among Hindu voters in the recent local body elections, the Congress wants to give a political message by giving a chance to a Hindu leader to the post of state president. The party believes that apart from its traditional support base of the Dalit community in Punjab, Singla is also trying to win back its state president.