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Chandigarh, July 11
Senior Congress leaders in Punjab met the party’s state in-charge, Bhupesh Baghel, on Saturday as efforts continued to ease internal tensions over the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The meeting, held at the Chandigarh residence of Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh, brought together former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and several senior leaders seen as part of his camp. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring did not attend.
The gathering came days after the Congress high command decided to retain Raja Warring as the Punjab unit president while appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as chairman of the party’s campaign committee.
The decision had triggered discontent among some leaders backing Channi, who had reportedly hoped to be appointed state party president. Channi had also skipped Baghel’s earlier meetings during his visit to Punjab.
Speaking to reporters after the nearly 80-minute meeting, Baghel said party leaders had shared their concerns and suggestions, which he would convey to the Congress high command.
“They have expressed their views. Nobody has objected to the decision of the party high command, and everyone stands with it. Some issues have been raised, and I will place them before the leadership,” he said.
Baghel also said he had assured party leaders that candidate selection for future elections would be based on winnability.
Before the meeting, Channi declined to comment directly on whether he accepted Raja Warring’s leadership, saying the matter would first be discussed internally. Asked about the differences within the party, he remarked, “Wait and watch.”
The meeting was attended by several senior Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and a number of sitting MLAs, former legislators and party workers from across Punjab.
Some leaders described the turnout as a show of support for Channi, while others said the meeting was intended to convey the sentiments of party workers to the central leadership.
Responding separately to questions about his absence, Raja Warring said it was normal for the party’s state in-charge to meet different groups of leaders individually and that such meetings did not require the presence of the state president.
Baghel has spent the past week holding consultations with Congress leaders across Punjab as the party prepares for the Assembly elections due in early 2027.
Earlier this week, Baghel ruled out any change in the party’s state leadership, saying the Congress high command’s decision to retain Raja Warring would not be reversed.
The meeting underscored the Congress leadership’s attempt to address internal differences while presenting a united front ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
