As Monday's exit poll numbers suggested an AAP-victory in Punjab, the Congress party would still try to find a silver lining in their Chief Ministerial candidate for the northern state, Charanjit Singh Channi.
Channi, who took the Chief Minister's chair in 2021, following Amarinder Singh's resignation, is the only Chief Minister in the country belonging to the Dalit community.
Though the Congress may fail to win in Punjab, the party will still try to bank on the 'dalit sentiment' with Channi bound to play a vital role in polls for other states. Both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are hoping to use this as one of their strategies to make an impact in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, according to a News18 report.
Punjab has the highest percentage of Dalit population in the country at around 33 per cent, which the Congress hopes to consolidate not just from Punjab but from other states as well. The party has been projecting Channi as Congress's vision for the ‘Aam Aadmi’.
Party leaders have made it a point to reiterate that Channi comes from a poor family and resonates with the pain of those poor.
After a Dalit CM in Punjab, the Congress is eyeing gains in other states. In UP, the party has distributed tickets to the people who are from lower stratas or have been victimised to counter the formidable Dalit force Maywati.
Even if Congress loses, its mascot Channi could bring electoral gains to the party constantly called out for its 'dynastic politics', especially in areas where there is a sizeable number of Scheduled Castes population.
(With DHNS/ agency inputs)
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