Congress set for revamp ahead of 2027 Punjab poll
The Congress is set to overhaul its state unit in coming days with an eye on the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the party will soon constitute a committee to propose names before sending them for approval to its highest-decision making body — All-India Congress Committee (AICC).
“The appointments would go a long way in strengthening the state unit in the run-up to the Assembly elections,” said Warring.
Reconstituted 2 years ago
The state unit was reconstituted two years ago, with Warring given the charge of the Punjab chief after the party’s poor show in the 2022 Assembly elections, in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dislodged the Congress, winning 92 of the 117 seats.
The Congress tally was reduced to just 18 from 77 seats it won in the 2017 state elections under the leadership of former Punjab Chief Minister and senior party leader Amarinder Singh, ending the 10-year rule of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
After his outster as the Punjab Chief Minister, the senior leader had quit the party and launched his own political outfit before the 2022 polls, which he merged with the BJP later that year.
Warring had replacedNavjot Singh Sidhu in the resuffle after the 2022 Assembly poll debacle.
The Congress had won seven of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab during the general election held last year under him.
Hindu community leaders seek fair representation
Meanwhile, ahead of the overhaul, senior Hindu leaders have begun efforts to get better representation in the state unit.
According to party leaders, it has become imperative to restructure the state unit to take on the ruling AAP, which has emerged as an alternative for the voters who traditionally backed the SAD, who is struggling for survival in the face of a series of political setbacks after losing power in the 2017 Assembly polls.
A former Cabinet minister said state Congress leaders need to strive for a “cohesive” Punjab unit rather than pushing their individual political interests at cost of the party.
‘Need to take into account new political realities’
With Punjab’s ruling AAP appointing Aman Arora as the state unit chief, senior Hindu leaders stressed on the need for better representation to the community leaders to strengthen its base among them.
“With the BJP trying to make inroads into Punjab, it has become important that the Congress takes note of the changing political space,” said a senior PPCC leader.
Presently, prominent Hindu faces in the state unit are former Minister Brahm Mohindra; former speaker Rana KP Singh, who headed the campaign committee during Lok Sabha polls; Vijay Inder Singla, who is a joint treasurer of the AICC; Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is a working president in the State Congress PPCC; Amit Vig, cashier of the PPCC; and Mohit Mohindra, Punjab Youth Congress president.
