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New Delhi:
With political parties intensifying their preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the Congress appears to be preoccupied with resolving its internal differences rather than taking on its political opponents. While the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal have stepped up their outreach across the state, the Congress continues to grapple with factionalism despite the recent announcement of its revamped Punjab unit.
After weeks of deliberations, the Congress high command recently announced the office-bearers for the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, retaining Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state president. Although the move was intended to provide organisational continuity, it has instead exposed deep divisions within the state unit, with several senior leaders privately and publicly expressing dissatisfaction over the leadership structure.
The strongest indication of the discontent has come from former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Rather than quietly accepting his appointment as chairman of the party’s campaign committee, Channi convened a meeting of his loyalists at his residence in Morinda, signalling his continued political relevance within the party.
The gathering included sitting Members of Parliament, MLAs, former legislators and several influential Congress leaders, underlining Channi’s claim that he commands significant support within the organisation. Leaders close to him have argued that overlooking Channi for the post of Punjab Congress president could hurt the party’s electoral prospects, maintaining that his leadership would have strengthened the Congress’ campaign ahead of the Assembly elections.
Another development has further fuelled speculation within the party. Senior Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was appointed chairman of the party’s core committee instead of being entrusted with the state leadership, reportedly travelled to Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The timing of the meeting has inevitably triggered speculation amid the ongoing unease within the Congress.
However, Randhawa dismissed the speculation, clarifying that the meeting was held solely to discuss security-related issues. Sources, however, said that senior leaders of the party are unhappy with the party high command.
A senior Congress leader, speaking to Read on the condition of anonymity, said that the larger challenge before the party extends beyond individual ambitions.
“The real issue is the Congress’ recurring inability to manage multiple centres of power. Punjab has witnessed factional politics within the party for years. Leadership disputes have repeatedly overshadowed organisational work, allowing political rivals to capitalise on Congress’ internal divisions. Instead of projecting a united alternative, the party is once again engaged in a debate over who should lead rather than how it intends to govern,” the leader said.
Read also reached out to senior Punjab Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa for his response, but he declined to comment on the ongoing developments.
Political observers believe the high command’s decision to retain Raja Warring has provided continuity but has done little to address the underlying rivalries within the state unit. They argue that if influential leaders continue to feel overlooked despite their political standing, symbolic appointments alone may not be sufficient to contain growing resentment. Public displays of dissatisfaction, strategy meetings by rival camps and reports of senior leaders holding discussions outside the party have further dented the Congress’ image as it prepares for the 2027 electoral contest.
Ashutosh Kumar, Professor in the Department of Political Science at Panjab University, told Read that the latest organisational reshuffle reflects the Congress’ traditional approach towards handling internal factionalism.
“The recent announcement by the Congress high command is very much in line with the party’s established style of functioning. Like an old elephant, the party continues to rely on its old memory of managing internal factions. However, the Congress needs to recognise that this is a new India where elections have increasingly become presidential in nature. To effectively challenge a formidable BJP, which is keen to emerge as a major force in Punjab, the Congress rank and file require absolute clarity about who is leading the party’s campaign,” Kumar said.
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