Punjab Congress fault lines remain visible despite Pilot’s attempt to bring rival camps together.
The Congress may have changed its Punjab in charge and created a broader leadership arrangement, yet the Punjab Congress’s internal fault lines once again became visible during Friday’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with state party president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring leading the demonstration while Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party in charge Sachin Pilot remained absent. The development comes barely three weeks after the Congress high command brought Pilot in as its Punjab affairs in charge, with the task of coordinating a state unit that has been struggling with competing leadership claims ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Pilot’s early efforts had produced an appearance of unity, but Friday’s protest again showed the gap between that public display and the functioning of the state organisation.
The absence of Pilot was particularly notable because Warring had held a Zoom meeting with him on Thursday, a day before the protest, to discuss the Election Commission issue and the party’s next course of action. Warring had announced that the march to the Election Commission office in Sector 17 would be held under Pilot’s leadership. When the protest took place on Friday, however, Warring was at the forefront while Pilot did not join the march. Channi was also absent. Reports from the protest said several senior Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Pargat Singh, participated, but the absence of Channi, Bajwa and Pilot was conspicuous. The protest was organised over allegations concerning the electoral process and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Warring demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar, registration of an FIR against him and his alleged collaborators and their arrest.
These are Congress’s allegations and demands.Police stopped the protesters as they moved towards the Election Commission office in Sector 17. Water cannons were used and Warring was detained along with other protesters.The absence of the senior leaders assumes significance because Pilot’s appointment had come after months of visible factionalism in the Punjab Congress. The Congress has retained Warring as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, while Partap Singh Bajwa continues as Leader of Opposition and Channi has been given a prominent role in the election campaign structure. The arrangement was aimed at accommodating different centres of influence instead of immediately handing control to one faction.
Pilot’s first major public appearance in Punjab had offered a very different picture. On September 15, Pilot, Warring and Channi appeared together during a Congress protest over the death of Sangrur resident Gulzar Singh. Pilot brought Warring and Channi together on the stage and the leaders publicly joined hands, creating an image of unity after months of tension. Partap Singh Bajwa also participated in that protest. That unity, however, has not carried over consistently to subsequent programmes.
The biggest unresolved issue remains the question of leadership and the growing projection of Channi within sections of the party.Channi has increasingly presented himself as a major contender for the party’s leadership in Punjab, particularly through his political outreach and social media presence. Supporters have repeatedly promoted him with the slogan “Saara Punjab Channi De Naal”, while videos and songs circulated on social media have projected him as a future chief minister.The projection became particularly visible at a large Congress rally in Jalandhar earlier this month. According to reports, party leaders on the stage repeatedly referred to Channi as “Bhavi CM”, or future chief minister, while workers responded with slogans in his support.
