Put up united fight or lose 2027 poll ticket, Cong leaders warned

In a stern message, the Congress high command has told senior state party leaders that their candidature during the 2027 Punjab elections will hinge on their putting up a united show in the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll.

A senior party leader said All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal had been “regularly monitoring” the participation of state leaders in the Tarn Taran bypoll campaigning.

The Congress top leadership had entrusted Ambika Soni with the responsibility of ironing out differences among party leaders in the state.

Earlier, Venugopal had told state party chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring to take former CM Charanjit Channi and other leaders along.

Months of infighting

The state unit of the Congress has been facing internal squabble for months now, prompting its central leadership to step in.

The party had lost the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll to ruling AAP earlier this year following which the demand for a leadership change had gathered steam.

The development had threatened a vertical split in the state unit. The warning comes as the party has initiated a major rejig in the state unit, beginning with the selection of 29 district chiefs under the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, an organisational rebuilding campaign.

According to Congress sources, the restructuring of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), the party's main decision-making body in the state, will be taken in the second phase of the overhaul.

Amid the developments, all senior leaders were recently seen at the last prayers for Uday Soni, husband of Congress leader Ambika Soni, at Delhi. Ashu and Channi were seen sharing stage with Warring and Congress Legislative Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa at a party event in Tarn Taran on Thursday.

Hooda, Pilot to campaign

Warring said all leaders were “united”. In the past, Ashu and Warring had been at loggerheads.“Senior leaders like former Haryana CM Bhupinder Sigh Hooda and senior Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot would also come for campaigning” Warring added.

Senior leaders like Rana Gurjeet, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Pargat Singh, Ashu and Kushaldeep Dhillon besides others have been assigned duties in the Assembly segment.