With an eye on reclaiming Punjab in 2027, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called a crucial meeting of the state’s leadership in Delhi on October 31 to review the party’s organisation and chalk out a winning roadmap for the upcoming electoral battle.
The meeting is expected to bring together senior state leaders, including party MPs, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Pargat Singh, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and other office-bearers.
The high-level consultation comes ahead of Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “Insaaf Rally” in Sangrur on November 4.
It follows a series of consultations between All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Punjab leaders at the party’s Chandigarh headquarters on October 26.
Those present included Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot, Pargat Singh, Bajwa, former state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, besides party MPs, MLAs and district Congress committee presidents.
During the discussions, Venugopal stressed the need for discipline and cohesion within the state unit, making it clear that indiscipline or attempts to weaken the party from within would not be tolerated, irrespective of a leader’s stature.
He also reiterated that the Congress would contest the 2027 assembly elections under collective leadership, signalling that individual leaders would not be allowed to run separate campaigns or project themselves independently as the party’s face.
{{/usCountry}}He also reiterated that the Congress would contest the 2027 assembly elections under collective leadership, signalling that individual leaders would not be allowed to run separate campaigns or project themselves independently as the party’s face.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi meeting is expected to take forward these discussions, with organisational unity, leadership coordination and preparations for the 2027 polls likely to figure prominently.
Traders feeling unsafe under AAP rule: Vijay Inder Singla
Senior Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla, meanwhile, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to maintain law and order, and curb the drug menace.
Addressing a press conference in Patiala, Singla, who is the chairman of the Congress Election Management and Coordination Committee, said traders, industrialists and entrepreneurs were increasingly reluctant to invest in Punjab or expand their businesses amid concerns over security.
He alleged that the government had failed to deliver on its promises of a drug-free Punjab, employment and better social security despite being in power for more than four years.
Targeting the government over its financial management and unfulfilled promises, Singla questioned the expenditure priorities of the state government amid mounting debt. He said promises such as ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance for women, higher pensions, regularisation of contractual employees and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. He demanded that the government explain its record on these commitments.
Speaking about Congress’s Insaaf Rally in Sangrur on November 4, Singla said it would highlight Punjab’s pressing concerns, including law and order, drugs, unemployment and the alleged failure of the state and central governments to deliver justice to its people.
He also held the BJP-led Union government accountable for failing to effectively check cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons, saying the Centre could not evade responsibility for the growing narcotics problem in Punjab.