Ahead of Punjab Assembly elections, state Congress leader Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday, 1 February, claimed that a majority of party MLAs had backed him for the chief minister's post. He also said that Navjot Singh Sidhu and Charanjit Channi had been the least favoured names for the position after Captain Amarinder Singh's exit.
In a video that has been widely circulated, former Punjab Congress chief Jakhar can be heard saying:
"42 MLAs voted for me, 16 for Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, 12 for Preneet Kaur, 6 for Navjot Singh Sidhu, and 2 for Channi. My only complaint is that Rahul Gandhi called me and asked me why don't you become the deputy chief minister? I said no."