Bhupesh Baghel came to Punjab to bolster Congress. Then it all went wrong

Congress party general secretary in-charge for Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel, embarked on a nine-day organizational tour of Punjab in an effort to strengthen the party's position in weak booths. The tour, which covered around 18 districts in the politically crucial Malwa belt, was initially intended to bring rival factions together and discuss pressing issues. However, the tour ended in chaos and internal power struggles.

During the tour, Baghel was often accompanied by Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the state Congress chief, and there were repeated clashes between supporters of Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. At several public events, Channi's supporters raised slogans advocating for Channi as the party's CM face for the 2027 Assembly polls, while Baghel warned that such behavior could lead to disciplinary action.

The most significant flashpoint occurred in Ludhiana, where rival groups confronted each other and exchanged insults. Baghel accused the protesters of acting like "RSS agents" and "sycophants," while Warring accused them of behaving like "sycophants." The confrontation in Ludhiana also turned physical, with rival groups clashing on stage and police having to intervene.

The tour's effectiveness was further compromised by a series of poster and flex wars, with rival groups displaying messaging that targeted Baghel and Channi. The irony was not lost on the party, as the campaign to strengthen the organization ended up highlighting how fragile its unity truly was.

Despite the tumultuous tour, Baghel maintained a positive public demeanor, claiming strong public support against the AAP government and stating that the Congress was preparing for the 2027 Assembly polls. However, party leaders privately expressed concern over the optics of repeated confrontations overshadowing the purpose of the tour.

The crisis reached a peak when 15 out of the party's 16 MLAs wrote to the AICC general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, and Party Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, seeking appointments to discuss pressing issues. Baghel's Chandigarh visit, which followed the Punjab tour, did little to quell the unrest, and the situation remained tense as the state unit of the party grappled with internal power struggles.