By inducting ‘Dalit poster boy’ Channi into CWC, Congress hopes to woo Dalit votes in 2024

arun Posted On August 24, 2023

346 Views

Charanjit Singh Channi was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi as the first Dalit CM of Punjab in 2022 while overlooking many known faces in the state unit. He failed to click, but once again the party seems to have reposed faith on this Gandhi loyalist to attract Dalit votes

Written By: Kavita Pant | Edited By: Deebashree Mohanty

The newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) under Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, which was formed on Sunday, is being widely discussed for several reasons. Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s name figures prominently among the 39 core members of the CWC, while former Punjab PCC chief and cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has been left out. The inclusion of Channi set tongues wagging over how he is still close to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi despite failing to help his party win in the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls.

Channi was appointed as the first Dalit CM of Punjab after the then CM, Captain Amarinder Singh, was ousted by the Congress high command due to a power tussle with Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed as the state Congress president. Channi, a Sidhu Camp member, replaced the Captain and remained the Punjab CM for 177 days before the Assembly elections were declared in the state in 2022.

The script

It is worth mentioning here that after Captain quit as CM the Congress high command reposed faith in Channi as he is considered to have a good hold on the Dalits, a community which is dominant in the Doaba region of Punjab.

Thus with an eye on the Dalit vote bank, for the 2022 Assembly elections, the party again presented Channi a Ramdasi Sikh of the Dalit community as the chief ministerial candidate but he failed to lead his party to victory, making way for the formation of the AAP government in the state.

Additionally, Channi could not even save his traditional seat Chamkaur Sahib and a new seat Bhadaur.

Importance of Channi in Punjab

After being out of the limelight for a long time, suddenly Channi saw himself on the CWC list, which shows that all hope is not lost for this Gandhi family loyalist. The fact that Dalits constitute 32 per cent of Punjab’s electorate and the Ramdasis or Ravidasis alone make up 14 per cent of the party by appointing Channi into CWC has once again tried to attract the Dalit voters towards it ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

According to political analysts, after the exit of Captain Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhad, the Congress seems to be lacking a prominent face in Punjab and so by giving Channi a place in CWC along with other leaders from the state like Manish Tiwari and Ambika Soni, the party seems to have tried to send a message that loyalty does matter after all.

The fact that Channi overshadowed both Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa and the current Punjab PCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring shows that the party is not very happy with the duo for opposing the party’s move to ally with the AAP nationally and also for supporting the AAP in the Delhi Ordinance issue.

Some political analysts feel that by bringing in Channi and not considering Navjot Sidhu in the CWC the party has also given a message that it has no place for those people who try to create problems within the party with their statements and also overstepping his jurisdiction.

Slipping vote bank

It is worth mentioning here that after Sunil Jakhar’s exit, the Hindu vote bank too made a shift from the Congress to a great extent. Jakhar had quit the party to join BJP while claiming that he was quitting as the Congress had sidelined him while picking the chief ministerial because he is a Hindu.

The Hindus constitute approximately 38.5 per cent of Punjab’s population and thus play a decisive role in the electoral outcomes of 45 out of the 117 Assembly seats. Traditionally, they have been supporting the Congress party but with Navjot Sidhu being accused of behaving rudely with the Scheduled Caste community and the Hindus a mass exodus of voters of both communities began from the Congress. Many analysts also believe that the party is hoping that by giving Channi some prominence it can once again bring these two miffed communities back to its fold.

Congress party’s Dalit poster boy

Handpicked by Rahul Gandhi to serve as Punjab’s Chief Minister, Channi received unwavering support from both Rahul and Priyanka. Despite this, he struggled to rejuvenate the party’s electoral prospects in the 2022 Assembly polls. His reputation also took a hit due to allegations of involvement in illegal mining, eroding the ‘common man’ image that acts the Congress had promoted while presenting him as a Dalit CM candidate.

According to some political analysts, the only standout moment for Channi during his brief tenure as CM occurred when he stood firm against the collective strength of the BJP. This happened after his administration was criticised for a security breach in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This breach led to the cancellation of a scheduled public event in Ferozepur, as protesting farmers obstructed the route of PM’s procession.

With Channi’s entry into CWC, the Congress also hopes to woo the Dalit vote bank in Uttar Pradesh as they form around 20 to 21 per cent of votes there. Traditionally a Congress vote bank, the Dalits have been seen swaying towards the BJP now. And this was evident from the recent shift of some Dalit leaders into the NDA fold rather than joining the INDIA alliance.

So, how effectively the Congress once again uses Channi as a poster boy for the party among the Dalit voters, in the areas dominated by the community, for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be interesting to watch.