Final Up to date:
Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure as Punjab in-charge was marked by persevering with variations between camps led by Warring, Channi and former minister S.S. Randhawa.
Congress Leaders Sachin Pilot (Left), Bhupesh Baghel (Proper)
The Congress excessive command has turned to Sachin Pilot to take cost of its Punjab unit forward of the 2027 Meeting elections, changing former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel because the AICC normal secretary in-charge of the state. The transfer comes amid extended factional variations involving senior Punjab leaders.
The change was introduced on Saturday, September 5, a day after Rahul Gandhi held a vital assembly with Punjab leaders in Delhi over the extended infighting. Baghel has been shifted to Assam in the identical position.
What CNN-News18 has learnt is that Baghel’s place within the Punjab unit had weakened amid allegations that he was “favouring” state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in his dispute with former chief minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi.
Channi has been searching for Warring’s elimination forward of the 2027 Meeting elections and had rejected Baghel’s makes an attempt to dealer a truce.
A number of anti-Baghel slogans had been raised in Punjab, whereas posters focusing on him additionally surfaced. Forward of Rahul Gandhi’s bus yatra, the Congress wanted somebody who might keep a stability amongst all factions and maintain the rival camps collectively. Baghel, nonetheless, had didn’t unite the completely different camps.
Why Baghel was changed
Baghel’s tenure as Punjab in-charge, which started in February 2025, was marked by persevering with variations between camps led by Warring, Channi and former minister S.S. Randhawa.
A senior Congress functionary mentioned, Baghel was seen as being too near Warring. Rival camps had complained to the highest management, alleging that Baghel was unfair in his dealing with of the factional variations.
His report card to Rahul Gandhi, notably his evaluation of Warring, had triggered discontent throughout the rival camp.
Leaders near the Channi camp have additionally claimed that Baghel didn’t successfully talk floor realities in Punjab to the excessive command, weakening confidence in his mediation.
The reshuffle got here because the Congress management signalled that “robust political and organisational adjustments” had been being thought of to deal with the divisions.
Why Pilot has been given Punjab
Congress is now trying to Pilot’s expertise in managing factional politics in Rajasthan.
Pilot himself was on the centre of a chronic political battle with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. After Congress received the 2018 Meeting election, the excessive command selected Gehlot as chief minister regardless of Pilot having led a lot of the marketing campaign effort.
In 2020, Pilot’s camp moved a gaggle of MLAs to Delhi in a political disaster that threatened the federal government’s majority. Pilot was subsequently eliminated as deputy chief minister and from occasion posts earlier than a partial reconciliation.
Variations resurfaced in 2022-23 over organisational management, ticket distribution and legislative management.
By way of these battles, Pilot skilled either side of factional politics – as a challenger to a longtime chief and as somebody whose personal camp needed to be managed by the excessive command.
Social gathering insiders describe him as an brisk grassroots chief with enchantment amongst younger voters and credit score him with organisational work that helped Congress win the 2018 Rajasthan Meeting election.
Punjab’s four-way energy battle
Punjab Congress stays divided amongst a number of camps. Warring holds the formal put up of state PPCC president, whereas Channi, who instructions help amongst OBC/Dalit voters and a number of other MLAs and former ministers, is pushing for a change in state management.
Partap Singh Bajwa stays influential in Majha and central Punjab and is seen as a key determine between the Warring and Channi camps. S.S. Randhawa, who heads the core committee for 2027, represents one other organisational pole.
Different leaders, together with Vijay Inder Singla, are concerned in election administration. The central contest, nonetheless, stays over the occasion’s narrative, tickets and marketing campaign equipment forward of 2027.
Pilot’s massive check earlier than 2027
Pilot’s quick activity is to carry the rival camps collectively, strengthen the organisation and help Rahul Gandhi’s marketing campaign to reclaim Punjab from the AAP, which defeated Congress in 2022.
The excessive command has been pushing a “win first, CM later” message, asking leaders to prioritise defeating the AAP fairly than preventing over the chief ministerial query.
Rahul Gandhi’s deliberate unity bus yatra, anticipated to start from Amritsar with a go to to the Golden Temple and canopy all 117 Meeting seats, is meant to place Warring, Channi, Bajwa and others on the identical platform.
The technique additionally entails committee-based power-sharing, with completely different leaders dealing with marketing campaign, core, manifesto and election-management tasks.
However Pilot faces a transparent threat. If he’s seen as favouring one camp over one other on tickets or marketing campaign management, the identical “bias” cost that broken Baghel might rapidly observe him.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the Congress excessive command has restricted time.
In the meantime, Randeep Singh Surjewala has been appointed normal secretary in-charge of Gujarat. He’ll retain his present duty for Karnataka, the place the occasion not too long ago witnessed a clean transition of energy. Punjab is scheduled to go to the polls early subsequent yr, whereas Gujarat will maintain its Meeting elections later within the yr. The appointments had been introduced by AICC normal secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.
Fast Solutions
Ask News18Bhupesh Baghel was changed as a consequence of extended factional variations throughout the Punjab Congress, with allegations that he favored state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring over former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. His tenure, which started in February 2025, was marked by persevering with disputes, and he was perceived as failing to unite the completely different camps.
Ask News18Concerning the Writer
Shuddhanta Patra is an Indian journalist with about 9 years of expertise in protecting nationwide politics, geopolitics, defence, diplomacy and worldwide affairs. Her reporting focuses on South As…Learn Extra
Punjab, India, India
September 06, 2026, 08:37 IST
Learn Extra
