Former minister Lal Singh, who could not contest the assembly elections owing to the ‘one family, one ticket’ rule of the Congress, was appointed the chairman of the Mandi Board by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday. Singh’s son Rajinder Singh won from the Samana seat.
Considered a contender for the post of the Punjab Congress chief after Amarinder became the CM, Lal Singh had opted out of the race. With Amarinder rewarding party’s Hindu faces, Brahm Mohindra and Rana KP Singh, with plum posts of seniormost cabinet minister and assembly speaker, respectively, the new Punjab Congress chief is also expected to be a Hindu as the community is seen as a major force behind the party’s return to power in the state.
Sunil Jakhar, Punjab’s former leader of opposition, who could not win from Abohar this time, is among the top contenders for the post. With Congress president Sonia Gandhi returning to India after her medical treatment, a final decision is likely to be taken soon.