Major overhaul needed to win ’27 Punjab Assembly polls: Congress leaders to Baghel

The Punjab Congress needs a “reconstructive surgery” and not a cosmetic one if it wants to return to power in the 2027 Assembly polls, state unit leaders have categorically told the party’s top brass, according to sources.

They have also told All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary incharge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel that the party needs to put those leaders in the driver’s seat who can aggressively take on ruling AAP.

The suggestions were given during one-on-one meetings with Baghel in Delhi over the last three days.

The interactions were necessitated by growing differences among leaders in the Punjab Congress, especially after the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll debacle last month.

A source said though Baghel did not hint at any leadership change in immediate future, the party leadership was likely to go for a major social engineering by giving preference to the leaders found topping popularity chart in the party’s internal surveys.

However, the source said the changes in the state party unit were expected only after the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, the schedule for which is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.

Some of the leaders even suggested to undertake surveys to gauge popularity of the leaders aspiring for top positions.

Some Hindu and OBC leaders have sought equal representation in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

A number of Jat leaders mentioned the name of former CM Charanjit Singh Channi for the top post.

Others hinted at sinking their differences provided a popular and acceptable face was put up in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.

“We need to be aggressive in taking on the ruling party, be it the drug issue, law and order or the land pooling policy,” said one of the leaders who met Baghel.

Among the leaders who met him included former chief ministers Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Charanjit Singh Channi, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh, former state Congress president Shamsher Singh Dullo, former MLA Kushaldeep Singh ‘Kiki’ Dhillon and MLAs Rana Gurjeet Singh, Pargat Singh.

Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who resigned as the working president of the Punjab Congress after the Ludhiana bypoll debacle wasn’t called for a meeting.