 "Punjab CM Amarinder Singh")
Amid the ongoing crisis in Punjab Congress, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will meet party leaders from urban areas of the state, followed by lunch in Chandigarh on Thursday.
The development comes a day after disgruntled Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday met with party leader Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.
Before meeting Rahul Gandhi, Sidhu met party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at her residence.
Months ahead of Punjab Assembly polls, the rift in the state unit has intensified. While Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday, the party's top leadership did not meet Punjab Chief Minister who was in Delhi recently for three days.
A senior Congress leader clarified that the Punjab Chief Minister had not sought time to meet the top leadership of the party. Singh, however, had met the All India Congress Committee (AICC) panel entrusted with the task to end factionalism in the state unit.
Earlier, the AICC panel had submitted the report on the Punjab crisis to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi with the ground realities and suggestions after the members of the panel met the Punjab Chief Minister.
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In order to address the factionalism in the state unit, a three-member panel had been set up by Sonia Gandhi.
It is to be noted that Rahul Gandhi has held meetings with Punjab Congress MLAs, MPs, and other important leaders from the state, including PCC Cheif Sunil Jakhar.
On Friday, the leaders who reached Rahul Gandhi's residence to attend a meeting included Vijendra Singla, Rana Gurjit Singh, RS MP Shamsher Singh Dhillon, and MLA Lakhvir Singh.
Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dhillon while speaking to mediapersons had said that the meeting was held to resolve infighting in the Punjab Congress and added that decisions were made to strengthen the party in the upcoming elections in the state.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met many senior Punjab leaders including Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Harish Rawat in Delhi amid escalating infighting in the party's state unit.
Punjab Assembly polls, scheduled for next year, are being considered crucial for Congress as it is one of the few states where the party is still in power.
In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.
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