War for ‘Power Centre’ in Punjab Congress before 2027 elections, why did political tussle increase between Channi-Vading-Bajwa?

Before the Punjab Assembly elections 2027, the fight for power within the Congress seems to be intensifying. The open show of strength by supporters of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for the post of state president, the high command’s confidence in Raja Vading and the continued importance of Pratap Singh Bajwa have created many power centers within the party. Manish Tiwari is also angry at not getting important responsibility.

Now the question is not just about a post, but about the face who will take charge of bringing Congress to power. The high command has definitely tried to strike a balance, but will this formula end factionalism or start a new political war before the elections?

Congress’s internal strife came out in the open

There is about a year left for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, but the struggle for leadership within the Congress has already started coming to the fore. The party high command has decided to keep Amarinder Singh Raja Vading as the President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), while former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has been made the Chairman of the Election Campaign Committee. On the other hand, Pratap Singh Bajwa has been retained as Leader of Opposition. After these decisions, three big power centers within the Congress (Charanjit Singh Channi, Raja Vading and Pratap Singh Bajwa) have once again come into the center of discussion. The Congress leadership may be calling it a politics of balance, but at the ground level this decision has not been able to completely eliminate factionalism.

Supporters gathered at Channi’s house, demanding to make him president

Immediately after the announcement by the high command, about 50 senior leaders and supporters reached the residence of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Morinda. In the meeting, former Deputy Chief Minister O.P. Many leaders including Soni, former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, former MP Mohammad Sadiq, MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, former MLA Nazar Singh Manshahiya, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Darshan Singh Brar were present. The main message of the meeting was clear that if Congress has to return to power in 2027, then the command of the organization should be handed over to Charanjit Singh Channi.

who said what?

• Punjab Congress leader Darshan Singh Brar said that if Channi is not made the state president, Congress will not be able to form the government in Punjab. It will be difficult to return to power under the leadership of Raja Vading.
• According to state Congress leader Gurpreet Singh Kangar, both the public and workers want Channi to become the face of Punjab Congress. Channi is the most acceptable leader to ask for votes in elections.
• According to Nazar Singh Manshahiya, this is not the displeasure of any individual but the voice of the public. Congress can win the elections under the leadership of Channi.
• According to Harminder Singh Gill, people in Punjab are inclined towards Channi. People want to see him as the number-one leader of the organization.
• Sidhu Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh said that Pratap Singh Bajwa’s comment is correct. His support is with Charanjit Singh Channi.

After all, why did Channi want to become the state president?

Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is currently the Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar. Even after defeat in the 2022 assembly elections, he wants to play an active role in the politics of Punjab. The post of State Congress President would give him the opportunity to gain control over the entire organization and decide the strategy for the 2027 elections.

It was believed that he was the strongest contender for this post, but the high command gave priority to organizational stability and handed over the responsibility to Raja Vading.

According to sources, after the new appointments, Channi did not even call the party leadership to formally thank him, which gave further strength to the discussions of his displeasure. However, he did not register any protest publicly.

Why risk averse the removal of warping?

Amarinder Singh Raja Vading has been leading the Punjab Congress for the last four years. The Congress leadership believes that his role has been important in the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and in keeping the organization active. Changing the state president a few months before the elections could have sent a wrong message among the workers. Therefore, the high command expressed confidence in organizational continuity instead of change in leadership.

Why is Pratap Singh Bajwa important?

Pratap Singh Bajwa has become the leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly. There was also discussion about his removal, but Congress did not make any change in this post. Bajwa is counted among the most experienced leaders of Punjab Congress and has his own strong political base. They are considered a separate power center within the organization.

How were different groups formed?

Punjab Congress seemed divided into two factions regarding the state president. About 30 Jatt Sikh leaders had written a letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge demanding to make Dalit Sikh face Charanjit Singh Channi the PCC president. After this, the panel led by AICC Treasurer Ajay Maken talked to about 66 senior leaders.

According to sources, Ajay Maken got an indication during his conversation with the state leaders that if Channi is made the president, there could be a lot of dissatisfaction in the party. After this Raja Vading supporters also became active.

Most of the district Congress presidents appointed in November 2025 expressed their opinion in favor of Vading. At the same time, Pratap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were also not considered in favor of change of leadership. This was the reason why the high command chose the path of balance instead of any one group.

Experience of 2022 also became a big reason

The Congress leadership does not want to repeat the experience of 2022 assembly elections. A few months before the elections, the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was removed and Charanjit Singh Channi was made the Chief Minister. But this experiment was not successful. Congress could win only 18 out of 117 seats, which was its worst performance in the state. Senior leaders of the party believe that a major change of leadership before elections weakens the organization. Keeping this experience in mind, the state president was not changed this time.

How did the high command strike a balance?

To reduce the leadership dispute, Congress has given different responsibilities to all the prominent leaders.

Charanjit Singh Channi – Chairman of the election campaign committee

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa – Core Committee Chairman

Vijay Inder Singla – Chairman of Election Management and Coordination Committee

Amar Singh – Head of Manifesto Committee

Raja Vading – State Congress President

Pratap Singh Bajwa – leader of opposition

The purpose of this strategy is to keep all influential faces involved in election preparations instead of giving complete power to one leader.

Will MP contest assembly elections?

Now a new debate has started within the Congress on whether the sitting MPs will be allowed to contest the 2027 assembly elections. Charanjit Singh Channi, Raja Vading, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Amar Singh are all Lok Sabha MPs. There is no clear ban on this in the Congress constitution, but in recent years the party has been adopting different strategies in different states.

If MPs are not allowed to contest assembly elections, Channi may be affected the most. Political experts believe that in such a situation their resentment may increase further, which may lead to a new tussle within the party.

Manish Tiwari’s displeasure is also a new challenge

Another difficulty for the party is the displeasure of Chandigarh MP Manish Tiwari. He did not find a place in any major committee formed for the 2027 elections. After this he expressed his displeasure on social media also. The Congress leadership is trying to convince him because his influence in Punjab and national level identity are considered important for the party.

The biggest challenge before Congress

The biggest challenge for Congress in Punjab is not just the Aam Aadmi Party, BJP or Akali Dal, but also its own internal unity. Channi is a big face of the Dalit Sikh community, Raja Vading has a strong hold on the organization, while Pratap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa hold influence as experienced Jatt Sikh leaders. If all these leaders come on one platform and contest the elections, then Congress can present a strong challenge. But if this leadership tussle continues till the elections, then political rivals can directly benefit from it.

Amidst the tussle in Punjab Congress, BJP linked Channi’s alleged displeasure to the internal discord in the Congress and said that ‘new cracks’ are emerging in the party. The party cited reports that party leader Charanjit Channi is “angry” over the recent reshuffle in the organization ahead of the Punjab elections.