Congress hopes for calm in Punjab unit, but storm clouds remain ahead of 2027 assembly elections

Punjab Congress workers at a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Chandigarh on Friday. | Photo credit:-

The absence of several senior leaders, including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, from the Punjab Congress unit’s demonstration in Chandigarh on Friday against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has again raised questions about the party’s internal cohesion.

The July 1 reshuffle of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has created confusion in the Punjab unit. Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was retained as the PPCC chief and Mr. Channi, a Lok Sabha member from Jalandhar and the most prominent Dalit face of the Congress in the state, was appointed to head the election campaign committee in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections. Mr. Channi and several other leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjit and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, were believed to be upset with the reshuffle of the party unit. Their supporters demanded that Mr Warring be replaced as PPCC president, exposing factional fault lines within the state unit.

PPCC revision

With elections looming and disagreements lingering, the Congress central leadership brought in Sachin Pilot to replace Bhupesh Baghel, the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, as general secretary in charge of the poll-bound state. Soon after taking charge, Mr. Pilot claimed that almost all the leaders in Punjab had assured him that he would work collectively and unitedly.

Amid the ongoing power tussle, particularly between Mr Channi and the PPCC president, senior leaders showed a rare sign of unity by participating in a demonstration on September 9 against the Punjab government in Chandigarh led by Mr Pilot, a former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan.

A party source said earlier this week that a meeting regarding the state unit was held at the residence of national president Mallikarjun Kharge, where senior party leader Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Pilot were present. Mr. Pilot is said to have submitted a detailed feedback report on the affairs of the Punjab unit to the party’s top leadership.

The source added: “The situation in the state unit is currently calm, but it could be like the calm before the storm. The party high command has asked the new leader to look broadly at the affairs and problems of the PPCC and share them. Feedback has been provided. I am sure that issues such as changes in the top leadership of the state unit will be resolved by next week, after which the election campaign led by Mr. Gtrashi could be launched. organized.”

Published – 26 Sep 2026 02:02 IST