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Pargat Singh or Vijay Singla? Who could be the next Punjab Congress chief after Amarinder Warring's exit
The appointment would be a significant one, owing to the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, expected to held in February next year.
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Even before the resignation of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), speculations were rife as to who would be appointed to the post next.
The appointment would be a significant one, owing to the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, expected to held in February next year. Warring submitted his resignation to the party high command after being informed of its decision to replace him, Congress sources said, according to an earlier HT report.
With the party leadership expected to announce his successor shortly, two names have emerged as frontrunners for the post – former state minister Vijay Inder Singla and former minister Pargat Singh.
Vijay Singla or Pargat Singh? Two names emerge amid reshuffle buzz
Former minister and ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as the frontrunner for the post ahead of the polls in Punjab, Congress sources said. Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh is also in the running for the role.
Amid the reshuffle buzz, former PWD minister Singla had earlier said that he was a "loyal soldier" of the party, and asserted that all party leaders were working together under the leadership of Warring.
On the possibility of him being appointed the next Punjab Congress president, Singla had said there was no such issue to his knowledge, news agency ANI reported. However, he added that he had always carried out the responsibilities assigned to him by the party and would continue to do so in the future. Singla is currently the chairperson of the Congress election management and coordination committee.
Pargat Singh, meanwhile, is a senior party leader who has been at the frontline when it comes to taking forward party matters and regarding issues in Punjab. He took part in the recent protest demanding the dismissal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Pargat has been consistent in his criticism of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the state and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. He has also, in the past, claimed a political collusion between AAP and BJP, while accusing the state machinery of turning Punjab into a “police state” to suppress dissent, according to ANI.
The party is looking to appoint a leader who could take both the Warring and Charanjit Singh Channi camps along in the run-up to the 2027Assembly polls in the state, PTI news agency reported citing sources.
Why did Warring resign? Escalation of the Punjab Congress infighting
The turmoil in Congress's Punjab unit escalated after July 1, when the central leadership initially chose to retain Warring as head of the PPCC. This triggered retaliation from a rival faction led by Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
This was followed by Channi loyalists boycotting official state committee programs and organised parallel outreach drives for three months. An August grassroots mobilisation drive put public spotlight on the matter, with the rival factions clashing and sloganeering against each other. Earlier this month, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel was replaced by Sachin Pilot as the Punjab in-charge.
Pilot held a series of meetings with state party leaders and submitted his report to the Congress high command to take a call on the leadership shake-up, leading to the party's decision to replace Warring, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
