The Congress’ Punjab unit remained divided on Saturday as AICC General Secretary in charge of Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel, held nearly two hours of discussions with leaders of the dissident camp led by former chief minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, amid continuing differences over the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The meeting, held at the residence of senior Congress leader Rana Gurjeet Singh in Chandigarh, came after several days of consultations by Baghel with leaders from different factions of the state unit. He was scheduled to leave for New Delhi later in the day.
After the meeting, Baghel said the dissident leaders had shared their concerns and that he would submit a detailed report to the Congress high command. “I have assured all our colleagues that, as the party in charge, I will safeguard everyone’s interests,” he said.
“Those who are capable of winning elections will certainly get party tickets, and no one should feel they are without support.”
Baghel said the discussions were constructive and maintained that no leader had objected to the decisions taken by the party high command, although several organisational issues had been raised during the meeting.
Before the talks began, Channi indicated that the outcome of the meeting would determine the dissident camp’s future course.
“Our stand is clear. We will wait and watch,” he told reporters, suggesting that further decisions would depend on the response from the party leadership.
Despite reports that the Congress high command had advised Channi to attend the meeting with only a small delegation, around 80 leaders associated with his camp reached the venue in what was widely seen as a show of strength. The group reiterated its demand that Channi either be given a larger organisational role or be declared the Congress’ chief ministerial face for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
The dissident camp argued that if Channi was not being considered for the post of Punjab Congress president, he should be projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate so the campaign could be built around his leadership. The Congress high command has, however, already indicated that Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring will continue in his current position.
Warring did not attend Saturday’s meeting. Responding to questions from reporters, he said there was no need for the state party chief to be present at every meeting convened by the party’s central leadership.
“The general secretary in charge acts as a mediator. The state president doesn’t need to attend every discussion. The very fact that these meetings are taking place reflects unity within the Congress,” he said.
Ahead of the meeting, Baghel had cautioned party leaders against breaching organisational discipline, warning that strict action would be taken if anyone crossed the party’s limits. He also dismissed attempts to pressure the leadership, remarking that “this is not a game of dolls” and asserting that the high command’s decisions would have to be respected.
The leadership debate gathered further momentum a day earlier after members of the family of former Union home minister Buta Singh publicly backed Channi as the Congress’ chief ministerial face for the next Assembly elections. The endorsement came amid continuing differences within the state unit over the party’s leadership structure.
Political observers said the Congress leadership faces a delicate balancing act in Punjab, where Channi remains one of the party’s most prominent Dalit-Sikh leaders. Saturday’s discussions ended without an immediate breakthrough, with the final decision on the issues raised by the dissident camp now resting with the Congress high command.