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Will Congress snub Sidhu and announce Channi the CM candidate in Punjab? Videos hold hints

Both Sidhu and Channi have been angling for the post

sidhu channi Navjot Singh Sidhu (left) with CM Charanjit Singh Channi | PTI

With the intra-party jostling for the top chief ministerial post going strong in the Punjab Congress, a couple of videos released by the party has stirred speculation. The Congress official Twitter handle, on Monday, shared a short video, showing actor Sonu Sood, whose sister recently joined the Congress, saying "the real chief minister" will be the one who deserves to be at the post and not that person who declares himself to be the chief ministerial candidate. The 36-second video on Twitter, which was retweeted by the Punjab Congress, ends with visuals of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at different programmes and events. No other political leader features in the montage. 

The clip comes ahead of the February 20 Punjab assembly polls, and amid speculation that state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu is eyeing the chief minister's post for himself. Sidhu had told a reporter last week that the people of Punjab would choose the chief minister, and not the Congress high command. Sidhu told the reporter: "The people of Punjab had elected MLAs five years back. It is the people of Punjab who decide whether they become MLAs. Therefore, do not have a false implication [impression] in your mind. The people of Punjab will elect MLAs and the people of Punjab will make their CM too."

Separately, the Punjab Youth Congress tweeted: "History tells us that powerful people come from powerful places. History was wrong! Powerful people make places powerful". The tweet had a video featuring Chief Minister Channi. 

Channi, who is the first dalit chief minister in the state, had a few days ago said that the Congress should declare its chief ministerial candidate and pointed out that it has been seen in the past that doing so has favoured the party reap electoral gains.

However, the Congress has not named a chief ministerial candidate. The party will go to the elections under “collective leadership”, it said. 

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