Elated over the party's landslide victory in urban localbodies polls, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday launched the"Capt for 2022" campaign to ensure the party's return to the stateassembly polls in early next year under the leadership of Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh.
The ruling Congress won six of the seven municipalcorporation elections and emerged the largest party in the eighth.
In the final count, the Congress won 1,199 of the 1,815wards in municipal councils.
"The message is loud and clear. People have giventheir mandate for Capt Amarinder Singh as the government nears its term earlynext year. It is for everyone to see," Jakhar told the media. "Thepolls results in the last year of the government in encouraging," headded.
With the launch of the "Capt for 2020"campaign, political observers said the party is aiming to launch a campaignprojecting Amarinder Singh as the next Chief Minister.
Jakhar, who said government's development was theiragenda in the polls, said the people had rejected the "negativepolitics" of parties like the BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and AAP.
Taking a jibe at both SAD and its former ally the BJP, hesaid, "Now let's see whether the Akalis will rejoin the BJP or the BJPwill rejoin the Akalis."
"We are going to launch our efforts from todayonwards (to bring the party back to power again) and I am launching a campaignfor 'Capt for 2022'.
"For 2022, Capt Amarinder Singh will be the captainof this ship. The people have given a message that for this turbulent water,only he (Amarinder) can steer the ship of the state through these turbulenttimes under which the state is facing discrimination (at the hands of theCentre)," he added.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has already cleared hisintention to contest the next assembly elections in the state, but said thedecision on leading the party rested with the Congress President.
The Chief Minister has clarified that though he hadinitially termed the 2017 polls as his last election, he had subsequently, onthe persuasion of his party colleagues, announced his decision to contest the2022 elections, and there is no change in that stance.