Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring is set to be replaced just weeks after Sachin Pilot took charge as the AICC in-charge of the state, but the leadership had been considering a change even before Pilot's arrival, sources said on Thursday.
Congress leadership was aware of growing dissatisfaction with Warring when Bhupesh Baghel was the Punjab AICC in-charge, sources said, adding that the party was in regular direct contact with MPs and other key leaders in the state.
The change was not made earlier as the party was weighing whether replacing the state president so close to the elections would be prudent. Assembly elections in Punjab are due early next year.
While Baghel had repeatedly said Warring would remain state Congress chief, unease within the state unit and the central leadership over his continuation was evident, the sources said.
Congress MPs from Punjab, apart from Warring, were unhappy with his working style and had conveyed their concerns about his leadership to the party's top brass, the sources said.
Almost all other senior leaders, including former ministers and MLAs, were opposed to going into the elections with Warring at the helm, they said.
When Pilot took charge, the Congress leadership asked him to take all factions and leaders along. Pilot, who is known to be sympathetic to younger leaders, tried to bring all leaders on board, but the fault lines between Warring and other members of the Punjab Congress had become too deep, the sources said.
The final decision was left to the party high command on whether to retain the status quo or make a change as it seeks to challenge the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, they said.
The leadership opted for the latter, the sources added.
Multiple sources said feedback from stakeholders, including MPs, key leaders and office-bearers, was overwhelmingly against Warring continuing as state president.
Warring is likely to meet Rahul Gandhi on Friday, after which an announcement on his exit and the appointment of a new state chief is expected, the sources said.
The Congress high command has informed Warring of its decision to replace him, following which he has offered to resign, the sources said.
Besides former MP Vijay Inder Singla, the names of former Olympian and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, former MLA Rana KP Singh, Raja Sansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa are also being discussed for the post.
The development comes days after Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Pilot discussed the appointment of a new Punjab Congress chief at a meeting.
The party is looking to appoint a leader who can bring together both the Warring and Charanjit Singh Channi camps ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, the sources said.
After the Congress appointed Pilot as general secretary in-charge of Punjab, his immediate challenge was to address factionalism within the state unit ahead of the elections.
The Punjab Congress has been grappling with factionalism since party leadership decided on July 1 to retain Warring as state unit president and appoint former CM Channi as chairman of its campaign committee.
Visits to Punjab by Baghel failed to bring an apparent truce between the two factions, with differences becoming increasingly visible at party programmes.
Earlier on Thursday, Warring said, "I am leaving for Delhi now. I will definitely sit down and speak with all of you and answer all your questions. I think I will have greater clarity on these issues by tomorrow, so I can explain everything to you properly and, through you, convey my views to the people of Punjab who want to know what I have to say."
After arriving in Delhi, Warring said, "The high command knows about everything. Now, the decision is up to the high command. Whatever decision they take will be followed".
(With inputs from PTI)
