Punjab Congress submits report on reasons behind Ludhiana bypoll loss

An internal report on the Ludhiana bypoll result sent by the PPCC to the party high command has listed factionalism and wrong discussion related to campaigning as the reasons for the party’s defeat.

Though PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who was in Delhi on Thursday, did not respond to the calls, sources said the report had been sent to AICC general secretary, Organisation, KC Venugopal.

A senior party leader said that in the initial phase of the campaign, the Congress had the upper hand, but gradually it became weak due to factionalism. The election management was in the hands of a select few leaders and the top state leadership was kept out, the PPCC has pointed out. Even the photos of Warring and Partap Bajwa were not put in the campaign posters.  

During the campaign, some leaders were involved without the approval of the high command, due to which the equations within the party deteriorated and it had to suffer losses, it was said. 

Senior leaders of the party have also raising questions on the role of state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel.  

The PPCC chief is pushing for reconstitution of the state body. After the resignation of Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Pargat Singh and Kushaldeep Dhillon, the PPCC will be reconstituted.

Baghel in a tweet said the resignations of Ashu, Pargat and Kushaldeep had been accepted.