Punjab Elections: With Channi As CM Face, Will Congress' Fortunes Change?

Will the Congress' plan to consolidate the decisive Dalit votes in Punjab work? Tune in!

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was picked as the Congress' CM face for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. 

(Photo: Deeksha Malhotra/The Quint)

After much anticipation and drama in the political corridors of Punjab, incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was declared the CM face of the Congress in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

Making the announcement, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that it was not he who made the choice, but the people of Punjab, who said "we want someone from a poor home as the chief minister."

The question of who would become the CM candidate had been festering in the Punjab Congress for months, with constant infighting between CM Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had even gone on to resign in protest earlier last year.

Now that Channi has been chosen, will the Congress' plan to consolidate the decisive Dalit votes in Punjab work? Also, what is next for Sidhu?

To unpack this, in today's episode, I am joined by my colleagues Aditya Menon, The Quint's Political Editor, and Himanshi Dahiya, The Quint's correspondent, who has been travelling extensively across Punjab to cover the election.