Amid continuous factional feud within the Punjab Congress, the newly appointed party state in-charge Sachin Pilot on Friday sought to project the 2027 assembly elections as a direct contest between the Congress and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were not major players in the state’s electoral battle.
Interacting with the media in Delhi, Pilot said the Congress would contest the Punjab assembly elections, due early next year, under collective leadership and would not announce a chief ministerial face.
His remarks assume significance as a section of the party, particularly supporters of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, has been demanding that he be projected as the Congress’s CM candidate.
Pilot said the BJP and SAD were attempting to regain political relevance in Punjab but faced a difficult task.
On the Congress’s electoral prospects, Pilot highlighted the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and claimed that the AAP was also facing internal challenges. He alleged that several AAP MPs had moved towards the BJP and accused the saffron party of attempting to weaken rival political parties for electoral gains.
Asked whether former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh could return to the Congress, Pilot said the party high command had not discussed the matter with him.
{{/usCountry}}Asked whether former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh could return to the Congress, Pilot said the party high command had not discussed the matter with him.
{{/usCountry}}Pilot’s appointment on September 6 came after months of infighting in the Punjab Congress, with the high command replacing former state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. Baghel’s tenure had reportedly been clouded by allegations of favouring Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who has been engaged in a prolonged political tussle with Channi.
The leadership change has raised hopes of a rapprochement within the state unit, but developments since Pilot’s appointment suggest that the factional divide remains unresolved. Rival camps led by Channi and Warring have continued to organise separate protests, meetings and outreach programmes, underscoring the challenge before Pilot in bringing the party together ahead of the 2027 polls.