Congress Names Punjab Panel Leaders, Omits Veteran Manish Tewari
The Congress party on Wednesday announced election-related committees for Punjab, where assembly polls are due next year, and appointed three new working presidents for its state unit. The move ended speculation that Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring would be replaced.
The appointments are seen as an effort to manage factionalism within the state unit. Notably, Manish Tewari, a three-term Lok Sabha MP and veteran of over four decades in the party, was not included in any of the committees. Tewari is considered a key figure appealing to the traditional Hindu voter base in Punjab.
The new working presidents are Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Raj Kumar Verka, and Sangat Singh Gilzian. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was named chairman of the campaign committee. Vijay Inder Singla will head the election management committee, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa the core committee, and Amar Singh the manifesto committee.
Other appointments include co-chairpersons for the campaign committee: Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjeet Singh, and Dharamvira Gandhi. The election management and coordination committee co-chairpersons are O.P. Soni, Razia Sultana, Kuljit Singh Nagra, Angad Singh Saini, and Bharat Bhushan Ashu. The manifesto committee co-chairpersons include Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Pargat Singh, Hardial Singh Kamboj, and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria.
A statement from Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal confirmed that Warring and Pratap Singh Bajwa will continue as state party president and legislature party leader, respectively.
