The Congress leadership told the party’s state unit chief, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, to stand down after feedback gathered by newly elected AICC general secretary in-charge Sachin Pilot over the past three weeks, people familiar with the matter said.
Pilot, who replaced Bhupesh Baghel on September 5, held a series of discussions with state leaders and MPs. A majority of the party’s seven Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab and several senior state leaders sought a change of guard, prompting the party leadership to begin an exercise to find a new state chief who could maintain social and regional equations and work alongside Charanjit Singh Channi, the only Dalit chief minister of Punjab till date.
A senior Punjab leader said Raja Warring’s position became untenable when the Congress replaced Bhupesh Baghel and brought in Sachin Pilot on September 5 to get the state unit into shape.
Punjab heads into state elections early next year. In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won a landslide victory, securing 92 of the state’s 117 seats. The incumbent Congress won only 18 seats, and Sukhbir Singh Badal-led the Shiromani Akali Dal was confined to just 3 seats.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab heads into state elections early next year. In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won a landslide victory, securing 92 of the state’s 117 seats. The incumbent Congress won only 18 seats, and Sukhbir Singh Badal-led the Shiromani Akali Dal was confined to just 3 seats.
{{/usCountry}}Unlike Baghel, who backed Raja Warring and could not meet Channi, Pilot met both Channi and Warring, along with other senior leaders, to maintain balance in the organisation. It was a point that Pilot underscored soon after taking charge. “I had a cordial meeting with Channi and he has assured me that he will offer his full support to the party’s efforts for the election,” he told HT in the interview.
In his report to the Congress leadership after getting the feedback, Pilot pitched for change in the state leadership, a stand that was in sharp contrast to the report that Baghel presented to the leadership in July this year. At the time, Baghel had virtually ruled out a change of guard.
Asked about the party’s change in stance, Pilot told HT on Thursday, “In politics, it’s never too late to change.”
Former Union minister Vijay Inder Singla, who is from the bania community, is seen as a frontrunner to replace Warring.
“A Hindu face can secure temporary peace in the Punjab unit. Channi would be comfortable after Warring’s exit and Jatt Sikhs (the most influential section of the Sikhs in Punjab) won’t have any trouble,” a Punjab lawmaker said.
Singla could help bring about a truce between the warring factions in the run-up to the state polls, the party’s first priority. “If Singla is appointed as the Punjab unit head, then Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the latter is close to Channi, are set to get more responsibilities. As the face of the Jatt Sikh in Punjab, Bajwa and Randhawa have to reach out to the community across the state.”
Strategic calculations also favour Singla’s prospective appointment due to regional balance.
Channi and Singla are from the Malwa region while Bajwa belongs to the Majha region. “Singla can attract the Bania voters in Malwa, the largest electoral region with 69 seats. The Banias primarily control the agricultural trade in this region and have deep links with the farmers,” said a third MP.