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Chandigarh, July 2
The Congress has retained Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as president of its Punjab unit while unveiling a new organizational structure and constituting key committees ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled early next year. The party also decided to continue with Qadian MLA Partap Singh Bajwa as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, ending speculation over a possible leadership reshuffle.
The announcement comes days after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, held individual meetings with five senior Punjab Congress leaders amid discussions on strengthening the party organization ahead of the state elections.
According to the All India Congress Committee, the party has appointed three working presidents and has constituted the campaign committee, the election management and coordination committee, the core committee, and the manifesto committee. The appointments have been made with an emphasis on ensuring balanced regional and social representation.
Jalandhar MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has been appointed chairman of the campaign committee. Senior Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla will head the election management and coordination committee, while Gurdaspur MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has been named chairman of the core committee. Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh will lead the manifesto committee. Former MLAs Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Raj Kumar Verka and Sangat Singh Gilzian have been appointed as working presidents of the Punjab Congress.
The campaign committee will include MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Rana Gurjeet Singh along with Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi as co-chairpersons. Former MLAs O P Soni, Razia Sultana, Kuljit Singh Nagra, Angad Singh Saini and Bharat Bhushan Ashu have been appointed co-chairpersons of the election management and coordination committee. Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, MLAs Pargat Singh and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, along with former MLA Hardial Singh Kamboj, have been named co-chairpersons of the manifesto committee.
The decision to retain Warring as Punjab Congress chief comes despite speculation that the party could appoint a new state president. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Vijay Inder Singla and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were widely seen as potential contenders for the post.
Earlier, the Congress had appointed Ajay Maken, Meenakshi Natarajan and Bhajan Lal Jatav as observers, who held consultations with senior Punjab leaders in Delhi before submitting their report to the party leadership. Rahul Gandhi later met Warring, Bajwa, Channi, Randhawa and Singla separately and urged them to work collectively for the upcoming Assembly elections.
With the new organizational structure now in place, the Congress is expected to intensify its preparations for the Punjab Assembly polls due early next year.
