Congress will contest Punjab polls collectively without a CM face, with Rahul Gandhi as central campaign face.
The Congress high command’s decision to replace Bhupesh Baghel with Sachin Pilot as Punjab affairs in charge has failed to immediately end the factional divide in the state unit, with the latest sign of discord emerging when former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and several of his senior supporters staying away from a protest led by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring in Chandigarh. The development has put Pilot’s new assignment under immediate pressure. He was brought in after the high command concluded that Baghel had failed to contain the prolonged dispute between the Warring and Channi camps. Yet, after days of his appointment, the two factions remain visibly divided over the leadership of the state unit and the party’s strategy for the 2027 Assembly elections. On Tuesday, Warring led a large Congress protest towards Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence over the drug menace and, what the party described as, the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.
Police used water cannons to stop the protesters. However, several prominent leaders associated with the Channi camp did not participate. They included MPs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Pargat Singh, besides senior leaders Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurjeet Singh. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa was in Delhi for meetings with the central leadership. The absence came despite the Congress high command having already taken a major organisational decision to address the factional crisis. On September 5, the party removed former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab and appointed Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot in his place. Baghel has been reassigned to Assam. The change followed a high command meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi to discuss the continuing factionalism in the Punjab unit. The central leadership has retained Warring as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president for now, while Channi has continued to press for a change in the state leadership.
Pilot has since attempted to project himself as a neutral coordinator. His appointment was welcomed publicly by both Channi and Warring, although the political calculations behind their responses are markedly different. Channi called Pilot’s appointment an important decision and said it had created new hope among Congress workers. Warring also welcomed Pilot, describing him as an energetic leader and thanking Baghel for his earlier contribution to the state organisation. Pilot has meanwhile made it clear that Congress will not project a chief ministerial candidate before the Punjab Assembly elections. In an interview after taking charge, he said the party would fight the election collectively, with Rahul Gandhi serving as the central face of the campaign. Pilot also said the focus would be on presenting a clear alternative to the AAP government rather than allowing internal leadership disputes to dominate the campaign.
