Overview
- The Congress high command formally retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab unit president and named Charanjit Singh Channi chair of the party’s campaign committee on July 1, a choice party in‑charge Bhupesh Baghel says will not be reversed.
- A group of sitting and former MLAs who back Channi held organised meetings in Morinda and Mohali, authorised Channi to represent their grievances, and initially resolved to boycott Warring’s programmes to press for a change of state leadership.
- Baghel has been on a multi‑day visit to Punjab meeting leaders across districts while publicly insisting that the high‑command decision stands and that internal debate is part of party functioning.
- The central leadership has begun to discipline open criticism, issuing a show‑cause notice to former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur after his public comments about the leadership decision.
- With Punjab a key battleground after Congress’s 2022 rout, the outcome of Baghel’s consultations will affect campaign unity, candidate roles and grassroots morale ahead of the 2027 assembly election.