CHANDIGARH: Ending weeks of suspense, the Congress high command has retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the Punjab party chief and Partap Singh Bajwa as Leader of the Opposition (Congress Legislative Party).
By continuing with both Jat Sikh leaders in their respective roles, the party has opted for continuity in its organisational and legislative leadership while strengthening its election machinery ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, now less than a year away.
At the same time, it has appointed three working presidents, namely two Scheduled Caste leaders and one OBC leader, under Warring, who remains the party’s face in the state.
The decision was announced by All India Congress Committee General Secretary KC Venugopal as part of a broader organisational restructuring of the Punjab unit, which also included the appointment of chairpersons, co-chairpersons and working presidents for key election-related committees.
Former Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, an SC leader, has been appointed chairman of the campaign committee, placing him at the forefront of the party’s electoral outreach and mobilisation for the 2027 Assembly elections. Notably, Channi was also in the running for the state unit chief’s post.
Congress Working Committee member, former minister and ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla has been named chairman of the Election Management and Coordination Committee. His appointment is a signal that the party has not ignored the Hindu community, especially after AAP appointed Aman Arora as its Punjab president with an apparent focus on consolidating the Hindu vote.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who is also Rajasthan Congress in-charge, has been appointed in-charge of the core committee, while Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh will head the manifesto committee.
To broaden its leadership, the party has appointed former MLA Sukhwinder Danny, former cabinet minister Raj Kumar Verka, both SC leaders, and OBC leader Sangat Singh Gilzian as working presidents of the state unit.
A senior party leader said the high command had sought to strike a delicate balance between seniority and experience.