Punjab Congress – Channi Supporters Renew Demand for State Party Leadership
Punjab Congress – Supporters of former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi gathered at his residence in Morinda on Friday, with several senior party figures urging the Congress leadership to appoint him as the president of the Punjab unit. The meeting followed the party’s decision to continue with Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the state Congress chief ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
Party retains Warring as Punjab Congress president
The Congress announced on Wednesday that Warring would remain in charge of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. The decision was made while the party also named several committees intended to prepare its organisation and election campaign for the Assembly polls scheduled next year.
Channi, the Jalandhar MP and former chief minister, had been viewed as one of the leading contenders for the post. Instead, the party appointed him chairperson of its campaign committee, a key role that will involve planning and coordinating the Congress election strategy across Punjab.
The central leadership also retained Partap Singh Bajwa as Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Gurdaspur MP and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was named chairperson of the party’s core committee.
Former legislators back Channi’s claim
Before the gathering at Channi’s Morinda residence, former legislators and party leaders spoke to reporters and said they believed he should have been given the responsibility of leading the state organisation.
Former deputy chief minister OP Soni, former ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Gurpreet Singh Kangar, former MP Mohd Sadiq, sitting MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, and several former MLAs were among those who visited Channi.
Former MLA Darshan Singh Brar said the party would face difficulties in its effort to return to power if Channi was not made the Punjab Congress president. He argued that Channi had greater public acceptance among voters in the state.
Gurpreet Singh Kangar also supported Channi’s candidature, saying party workers needed a leader who could connect directly with the public during the election campaign. Several others at the meeting echoed the view that Channi should have been assigned the top organisational role.
Channi given responsibility for campaign planning
Although Channi did not get the state presidency, the campaign committee position gives him an important role in the party’s preparations for the Assembly election. The committee is expected to work on campaign messaging, candidate outreach, public meetings and coordination between district-level units.
Channi, who became Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister in 2021, remains one of the Congress party’s prominent leaders in the state. His supporters had reportedly pressed for his appointment as Punjab Congress chief in the weeks leading up to the organisational reshuffle.
Reports suggested that he was unhappy with the final decision, though no formal statement from Channi was immediately available on the issue.
Congress attempts to manage internal divisions
The Congress leadership has attempted to distribute responsibilities among senior leaders in an effort to prevent internal differences from affecting preparations for the Punjab elections. Channi and Randhawa were both considered strong contenders for the state president’s post before Warring was retained.
By assigning different responsibilities to senior figures, the party appears to be seeking a broader leadership arrangement for the election campaign. The effectiveness of that approach will depend on whether the leaders and their supporters work together in the months ahead.