Punjab Congress crisis: Dissident leaders camp in Delhi as Baghel holds meetings to steady ship

Congress Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel held a series of meetings in Chandigarh to stabilize the state unit. Credit: X/@bhupeshbaghel

Even as Bhupesh Baghel held a series of meetings in the Congress in Chandigarh to stabilize the state unit, a faction of disgruntled Punjab leaders reportedly camped in New Delhi to seek a meeting with the party’s central leadership.

With internal rifts mounting in the Punjab Congress ahead of parliamentary polls due in early 2027, Mr Baghel began his five-day visit on Monday (July 6, 2026) to iron out differences in the party’s state unit and lay the groundwork for election preparations.

On Tuesday, Mr. Baghel convened a meeting of District Congress Committee Presidents and met senior party leaders including Partap Singh Bajwa, Amar Singh, Vijay Inder Singla, Rana KP Singh, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Hardial Kambhoj, Kuljeet Nagra, Brahm Mohindra, Balbir Sidhu, Shamsh.

The overhaul of the Punjab Congress on 1 July led to internal unrest. While Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was retained as the chief of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed to head the campaign committee ahead of the assembly elections.

However, a few days after the reshuffle, as a show of strength, a meeting of several party leaders and workers was held at Mr. Channi’s Morinda residence and at another meeting in Mohali. Mr Channi, who is currently a Lok Sabha MP, is upset with the reshuffle, according to party sources. The meetings were meant to express his displeasure to the party high command as he expected to either become the head of the PPCC or become the main ministerial face of the party.

With Mr Baghel yet to meet the key leaders pushing for Mr Channi to be reassessed as a state unit, Mr Warring played down the crisis, saying Mr Channi would meet with the relevant issues in a day or two.

“Mr Baghel met the heads of various committees on Monday, all but two. Mr Channi, who chairs the party’s election committee, and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who heads the main committee, will both meet Mr Baghel soon. Mr Channi told Mr Baghel he would be away for a day or two,” Mr Warring said.

Last year, Mr Channi had called for “greater representation of Dalits” in the party, pointing out that Dalits were not getting due recognition, bringing the differences in the party into the open. In 2022, he was the main ministerial face of the party. However, the Congress suffered a major defeat in the assembly polls, raising questions about the leadership skills of Mr. Channi, who lost both the assembly constituencies he contested.

Published – 7 Jul 2026 22:28 IST