Cong initiates efforts to put house in order in Punjab

With little over a year left for assembly polls in Punjab, the Congress has embarked on hectic efforts to put its house in order in the faction-ridden state and resolve the leadership row soon.
Faced with two successive defeats at the hands of the ruling Akali-BJP combine, Congress high command has started intense discussions with state leaders in Punjab at a time when factional fights are at their peak.
Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had lengthy deliberations with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi last week.
Another former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal also met Sonia a few days back and PCC chief Pratap Singh Bajwa separately met Rahul to resolve the crisis in the local Congress.

While Amarinder has been seeking the removal of Bajwa and install his man instead, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni's name is prominently doing the rounds for the top slot.
Others whose names are also being talked about include former minister Lal Singh, besides some youth leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu and Indian Youth Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.

"Leaders in the state should not make conflicting statements and we will try to address the issues as early as possible," AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Shakeel Ahmed told PTI.
The hectic consultations with senior state leaders indicate that the Congress high command is keen to put its state unit in order to take on the SAD-BJP combine in the next assembly polls slated in early 2017.

The state Congress unit has been plagued with infighting and is riddled with factionalism, with state leaders speaking in different tones and often attacking each other in public.
Amarinder is cut up since he was replaced by Bajwa some two years back as the PCC chief after the party lost the last assembly polls resulting in the Akali-BJP combine coming to power for a second time.
A sulking Amarinder has also kept himself away from the Lok Sabha despite being made the Deputy leader of the party there and has focused his attention on Punjab where he is increasingly at loggerheads with Bajwa.

The surprise emergence of AAP in Punjab in the Lok Sabha polls last year by securing four of the 13 seats has also sent alarm bells in the Congress, given the fact that the polity so far was bipolar between Congress on one side and Akali Dal-BJP on the other.
Congress could secure only three seats in the last Lok Sabha polls, while Akalis secured four seats and BJP two.