Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday updated his bio on social media platform X to describe himself as the “former president, Punjab Congress”, signalling his exit from the post of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president amid persistent infighting in the state unit.
Warring, the Ludhiana MP, submitted his resignation to the party high command after being informed of its decision to replace him, Congress sources said.
The leadership is expected to announce his successor shortly, with former state minister Vijay Inder Singla emerging as the frontrunner along with former minister Pargat Singh.
“I am a disciplined soldier of the party and will work wherever the duty is assigned,” Warring said, declining to elaborate further on the matter.
The developments follow Warring’s meeting with the high command in New Delhi, initiated after newly appointed AICC Punjab general secretary in-charge Sachin Pilot submitted an assessment report addressing factionalism and outlining the roadmap for the 2027 assembly elections.
Pilot’s appointment on September 5 came as a direct response to rising dissatisfaction among local leaders. Former AICC in-charge Bhupesh Baghel had faced a cold shoulder from dissenters due to his continued support for Warring despite mounting pressure from opposing camps. Pilot conducted consultations across various factions before submitting his findings to party leadership.
According to party sources, feedback gathered during this exercise indicated that Warring had lost the confidence of a majority of senior state leaders.
{{/usCountry}}According to party sources, feedback gathered during this exercise indicated that Warring had lost the confidence of a majority of senior state leaders.
{{/usCountry}}The leadership tussle in the state unit had escalated significantly in recent months, with former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his supporters openly questioning Warring’s authority. To temper the public rift, the high command attempted a balancing act on July 1 by retaining Warring as state chief while appointing Channi as chairperson of the campaign committee. However, factional lines remained deeply drawn, with dissenters boycotting joint events and pressing for organisational restructuring.
Warring originally took charge of the PPCC in April 2022 following the party’s defeat in the assembly elections. He went on to win the Ludhiana parliamentary seat in 2024. His exit marks another leadership overhaul as the Congress attempts to contain internal divisions and restructure its state machinery five months ahead of the 2027 electoral contest.
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday updated his bio on social media platform X to describe himself as the “former president, Punjab Congress”, signalling his exit from the post amid persistent infighting in the state unit.
Warring, 48, who took charge of the Punjab Congress in April 2022, right after the assembly poll drubbing, has submitted his resignation to the party high command after being informed of its decision to replace him, said people privy to the development. Warring’s exit paves the way for appointment of a new Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, a move that the party hopes will put an end to the bitter factional feud plaguing the state unit in the run-up to the high-stakes assembly polls due early next year.
The leadership is expected to announce his successor shortly, with former state minister Vijay Inder Singla emerging as the frontrunner along with former minister and Olympian Pargat Singh. A Hindu face, Singla, who is also ex-MP from Sangrur, is considered close to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Warring, who is also Ludhiana MP, left for Delhi amid speculations over a change of guard. “if Raja is not there today, someone else will be. It does not make any difference. This is the jurisdiction of Rahul Gandhi ji and the Congress party. Who will become the president and when is for them to decide,” Warring told reporters before his departure.
Senior Congress leaders, pleading anonymity, said the party had been discussing the issue of the state leadership for the past many days. The decision to replace Warring came following organisational feedback taken by the party’s new appointed Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot, they said.
Pilot, who was appointed to the post replacing former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on September 5, held a series of meetings with state party leaders before submitting his report to the party high command to take a call on the leadership shake-up, they added. According to people familiar with the matter, the feedback gathered during this exercise indicated that Warring had lost the confidence of a majority of senior state leaders.
The leadership tussle in the state unit had escalated significantly in recent months, with Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his supporters openly questioning Warring’s authority. To temper the public rift, the high command attempted a balancing act on July 1 by retaining Warring as state chief while appointing Channi as chairperson of the campaign committee. However, factional lines remained deeply drawn, with dissenters boycotting joint events and pressing for organisational restructuring.
Replying to a question on changing the Punjab Congress chief, Channi said the decision on it is the party’s prerogative. “It is the prerogative of Rahul Gandhi and (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji. Only they know who is to be appointed or when is to be changed,” Channi said while speaking to reporters in Delhi on Tuesday. Responding to another question, Channi said that Pilot’s appointment as the party’s general secretary in-charge gave a “new hope” to party workers in the state.