Punjab Congress Truce Holds for Now, but Factional Fault Lines Remain Deep

The Congress high command has managed to temporarily pacify warring leaders in its Punjab unit, but deep factional divisions persist, party sources said. A key unresolved issue is whether sitting Lok Sabha MPs should be allowed to contest the upcoming Assembly elections, which could spark fresh turmoil.

Several chief ministerial hopefuls, including former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, are Lok Sabha MPs. Party insiders said Channi, who was keen to become Punjab Congress president, was upset with the high command's decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as state president and Partap Singh Bajwa as Legislature Party leader. The high command sought to placate Channi and other senior leaders by appointing them heads of key election-related committees.

The decision followed extensive consultations, including a three-member panel led by AICC treasurer Ajay Maken that met 66 senior leaders. A sizable section of the leadership had called for Warring's replacement. At least 30 Jatt Sikh leaders wrote to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge seeking a meeting to push for Channi's appointment as Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president.

As the Channi camp mounted pressure, other factions became active. Warring secured support from a majority of district Congress presidents appointed in November 2025. Separately, senior Jatt Sikh leaders Bajwa and Randhawa joined forces to prevent Channi from getting the top post.

One proposal from the anti-Channi camp suggested that if appointed PCC president, Channi should not be allowed to contest the Assembly elections. Another argument held that replacing Warring, who has led the state unit for over four years, so close to elections would send a wrong signal.

The high command's decision to remove Captain Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister and replace him with Channi months before the 2022 Assembly elections proved disastrous. The Congress won only 18 of 117 seats under Channi's leadership, its worst-ever performance in Punjab.

Channi, Randhawa, Amar Singh, and Raja Warring are all Lok Sabha MPs. High command sources indicated that the question of whether MPs should be allowed to contest Assembly elections could become the next flashpoint. There is no fixed rule in Congress on this matter. Recently, the party did not allow MPs to contest Kerala elections but fielded Gaurav Gogoi—then a Lok Sabha MP and party's CM face—in Assam, where he lost by over 23,000 votes.

Historically, the party has appointed Lok Sabha MPs as Chief Ministers after elections, such as Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 and Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana in 2005. Channi is believed to be upset with the high command's decision and has not commented publicly.

Separately, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari expressed displeasure over not being consulted. In a post on X, he wrote, “Wish I had an antidote for the insecurities of individuals and institutions! Having said that, the Congress has given me enough over the past 45 years and I have also devoted my entire adult life in the service of the Indian National Congress over the decades. Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be.”