Can Navjot Sidhu's New Appointment Solve Punjab Congress Infighting?

Can Sidhu's appointment solve Punjab Congress infighting? | The Big Story

After weeks of intense political drama, former MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed as Punjab Congress Chief on Sunday, 18 July. Image used for representation only.

(Photo: Kamran Akhtar/The Quint)

With barely eight months ahead of Punjab assembly elections, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has been elevated as the Punjab Pradesh Congress President.

The infighting in the Punjab unit of the Congress party has been making headlines for the past few weeks and the intense political drama reached a flashpoint on 17 July when Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh wrote a letter to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, voicing his concerns against Sidhu’s appointment as the party’s state unit Chief.

However, it looks like the Congress top brass has not paid heed to Amarinder Singh’s concerns and instead went head and appointed four new working presidents, without the consultation of the CM.

But will Sidhu's new appointment be the solution to end the growing factionalism and infighting in the state cadre? and pertinently, what does his appointment signal for the party’s leadership?

To discuss all this, we spoke with The Quint’s Political Editor Aditya Menon.