Punjab Congress Sees Uneasy Calm as Factional Rifts Persist Before 2027 Polls
Punjab Congress shows signs of strain as senior leaders skip a protest, reviving factional questions ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
The Punjab Congress unit's demonstration in Chandigarh on Friday against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was notable as much for who was missing as for the protest itself. Several senior figures, among them former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, stayed away, once again turning attention to the party's internal cohesion in a state heading to Assembly polls in 2027.
Disquiet within the unit dates back to the July 1 reorganisation of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was retained as the PPCC president, while Mr. Channi, the Jalandhar Lok Sabha member and the party's most prominent Dalit face in the State, was placed at the head of the election campaign committee. Mr. Channi and leaders including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjit and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa were understood to be unhappy with the reshuffle, and their supporters pressed for Mr. Warring's replacement as PPCC chief, laying bare the unit's factional lines.
With the election drawing closer and differences unresolved, the central leadership replaced Bhupesh Baghel, a former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, with Sachin Pilot as general secretary in charge of the poll-bound State. Shortly after assuming the role, Mr. Pilot said nearly all Punjab leaders had assured him they would work collectively and unitedly.
Amid the continuing tussle, particularly between Mr. Channi and the PPCC president, senior leaders put up a rare display of unity by joining the September 9 demonstration in Chandigarh against the Punjab government, which was led by Mr. Pilot, a former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister.
A party source said a meeting on the State unit was held earlier this week at the residence of national president Mallikarjun Kharge, attended by senior leader Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Pilot, who is reported to have submitted a detailed feedback report on Punjab affairs to the top leadership.
The source described the current situation in the State unit as quiet, while cautioning that it could prove to be the calm before a storm. The high command had asked the new in-charge to take a broad view of the PPCC's affairs and issues and share it, and that feedback has now been given. The source expressed confidence that matters such as changes at the top of the State unit would be settled within a week, after which a possible bus yatra led by Mr. Gandhi to launch the party's election campaign could be organised.