Congress hopes for calm in Punjab unit but storm clouds remain ahead of 2027 Assembly election

On Friday, a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was held in Chandigarh by the Punjab Congress unit, leaving out several senior leaders such as former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The recent revamp of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in July has sparked unrest within the Punjab unit.

Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was retained as the PPCC chief, while Channi, a prominent Lok Sabha member from Jalandhar, was tasked to lead the election campaign committee for the impending 2027 Assembly election. The absence of leaders like Channi and others like Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjit, and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa following the revamp has fueled concerns about the party’s internal harmony.

In response to the ongoing internal strife, the central Congress leadership brought in Sachin Pilot to replace Bhupesh Baghel as the general secretary responsible for the poll-bound State. Pilot asserted that all leaders in Punjab have agreed to work collectively and unitedly, despite the factional discord. However, the senior leaders did display unity by joining Pilot's protest against the Punjab government on September 9.

A meeting to discuss the State unit’s affairs was reportedly held at the residence of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, where Rahul Gandhi and Pilot were present. Pilot reportedly submitted a comprehensive report on the Punjab unit’s affairs to the party’s top leadership.

At present, the situation in the Punjab unit seems tranquil, but it could serve as a calm before a potential storm. The party high command asked the new in-charge Pilot to take a comprehensive view of the PPCC’s matters and share them. Pilot claimed to be confident that issues like changes in the top leadership of the State unit will be resolved by the end of next week. Following this, a possible party-wide bus yatra led by Rahul Gandhi could be organized to kickstart the election campaign.