"Amarinder will become the Chief Minister if the Congress is voted to power by your (electorate) support," Mr Gandhi told an election rally in Ferozepur.
The announcement, which the party rarely does before elections, comes less than a week ahead of the January 30 Assembly elections which are expected to witness a keen tussle between the Congress and the Akali Dal-BJP combine.
Amarinder Singh is a former Chief Minister and has been the frontrunner for the post since he was made the PCC President. Former Chief Minister and state CLP leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is another aspirant.
The development is significant as the Congress has not projected any Chief Ministerial candidate in the four poll-bound states including Uttar Pradesh. This is despite the fact that Ibobi Singh of Manipur has been seeking to commit a hat-trick after remaining the Chief Minister for 10 long years. Digambar Kamat has been the Chief Minister of the Congress-led coalition in Goa.
Interestingly, Mr Gandhi's announcement came on a day when the party high command seeking to avoid any dissensions on the leadership issue in Uttar Pradesh dismissed suggestions that it has decided on any Chief Ministerial candidate before elections.
The statement from the Congress central leadership came close on the heels of reports from Pratapgarh where Union Minister Salman Khurshid indicated last night that the state Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tewari could play a bigger role after elections.
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