New Delhi: Hockey Olympian and former Punjab Sports Minister Pargat Singh was appointed the president of the State Congress, soon after Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring put in his papers after meeting Rahul Gandhi.
A Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee, Pargat is a former captain of the Indian Hockey team. He represented India at three consecutive Olympic Games — Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.
Three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantt.
A three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantt, 61-year-old Pargat Singh is learned to have been strongly backed by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot.
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Top Congress sources said that they earlier thought of appointing Hindu face Vijay Inder Singla as state chief, ultimately settling for a Jat Sikh face to replace Warring, also from the same community.
Jat Sikh factor in Punjab politics
Party insiders say that the decision was taken considering ground realities wherein current politics is revolving around the politically influential Jat Sikh community, with BJP also appointing Kewal Dhillon from the same community to head the party in the state, while the present AAP Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, is also from the same segment.
Challenge before Pargat Singh
Pargat faces the task of taking along a largely faction-ridden Punjab Congress, where several leaders harbor Chief Ministerial ambitions. His appointment appears to be both a tactical move and ideological shift by the Congress high command ahead of the coming Assembly elections.
From hockey player to politician
His elevation is significant given his unique political journey — from an international Hockey player to a police officer and later a politician. He joined the Congress in December 2016, shortly before the 2017 Assembly polls, along with former Cricketer Navjot Sidhu.
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Congress performance in Punjab
The Congress won only 18 of the 117 seats in the 2022 Assembly, while AAP swept to power. However, Congress won seven Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections out of the total 13 seats, with AAP winning only three.