Punjab CM Amarinder Singh resigns months ahead of assembly elections in the state

“I was humiliated for the third time in the past few months,” Singh stated, including that it is up to the party on who should be appointed as the next Chief Minister.

On September 18, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder submitted his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit. His exit comes months before the assembly elections in the state, with a majority of MLAs within the ruling Congress reportedly seeking his ouster.

“CM Captain Amarinder Singh has met the Punjab Governor and submitted his and his council of ministers’ resignation. He will address the media at the Raj Bhavan gate in a few minutes from now,” stated Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the Punjab CM.

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Singh, whilst addressing the clicking following his resignation, stated he has felt “humiliated” in the way in which the party has handled the political situation in Punjab. Singh added that he has decided to step down as doubts have been being raised about his leadership.

“I was humiliated for the third time in the past few months,” he stated, including that it is up to the party on who should be appointed as the next chief minister.

The exit of Amarinder Singh comes 4 years after he secured the Congress a convincing victory in the last assembly polls in Punjab. The party presently has eighty MLAs withinside the 117-member House. A legislator from Patiala, Singh has served as chief minister of Punjab previously from 2002 to 2007.

He has additionally been the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on multiple occasions. At 79, Singh became the oldest chief minister earlier than his resignation today. His electoral profession dates back to 1980, whilst he received a seat in the Lok Sabha for the first time. He became elected from his own circle of relatives bastion of Patiala.

In Punjab, where the intra-Congress crisis has been brewing over the last few months, matters took an explosive flip after it was reported, bringing up sources, that the party management had requested Singh to surrender and pave way for the appointment of a new leader minister. Sources claimed that the Congress excessive command in Delhi decided an alternate of guard considering Singh’s diminishing popularity.

Singh’s age, 79, was not on his side as well. Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi, the sources said, spoke with the chief minister and requested him to surrender gracefully hours before an assembly of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) scheduled in the evening on September 18.

Singh reportedly called a meeting of MLAs in advance during the day and is learnt to have obtained the support of the most effective 15 of the party’s 80 MLAs in Punjab. Former Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar, who was once taken into consideration a close confidante of Amarinder Singh, is among the names being taken into consideration for the pinnacle post, according to the sources.

Senior Congress chief Ambika Sonia is likewise doing rounds as Singh’s replacement. The MLAs alleged that the chief minister had carried out nothing to fulfil the 18-point programme issued by the party excessive command.
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been the maximum vocal critic of the chief minister, was named the state party chief in July however, he keeps to queer the pitch, fancying his possibilities to come to be the CM candidate.