The latest flashpoint came after former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi (left) and others declined to attend public events alongside Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
AAP bags goldmine as Punjab Congress implodes; why is high command mute?
With no intervention from the party's top leadership, Punjab Congress leaders remain locked in a factional struggle that threatens its electoral revival in 2027
The Punjab Congress is witnessing one of its worst internal crises in recent years, with factionalism spilling into public view, even as senior leaders appear reluctant to intervene. The deepening infighting could hand the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) a significant advantage ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Why the Congress high command is staying away from Punjab's escalating factional war has emerged as the biggest question. The party's top leadership reportedly declined to directly intervene despite an internal survey recommending a change in the state leadership.
Latest rift
The latest flashpoint came after former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa declined to attend public events alongside Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and the party's state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel.
The public display of discord has exposed widening cracks within the state unit at a time when the party was hoping to capitalise on growing anti-incumbency against the AAP government.
Also read: Warring throws down gauntlet, targets Mann in Punjab polls
"The Congress is in complete free fall at a time when, until a few months ago, it genuinely believed it had a strong chance of returning to power because of visible anti-incumbency against the AAP," The Federal's Political Editor Puneet Nicholas Yadav noted in a recent YouTube programme.
Leadership change recommendation
According to Yadav, the turmoil has been aggravated by the Congress high command's handling of the leadership issue. An internal survey conducted by the party's election management agency around two months ago had recommended replacing Raja Warring as the Punjab Congress chief.
"The survey concluded that Raja Warring was not the right choice and suggested bringing Charanjit Singh Channi to the forefront because his popularity had expanded beyond his traditional Dalit support base in the Malwa region," he said.
Despite the findings and feedback from senior state leaders, the Congress leadership opted for a "please-all" formula. Warring was retained as the Punjab Congress president, Channi was made chairman of the campaign committee, Randhawa was appointed head of the core committee, and Vijay Inder Singla was given charge of the coordination panel.
Also read: ‘Hello, uncle Amarinder’: Why Rahul Gandhi finds this BJP leader cool
"Instead of resolving the leadership issue, the high command ended up creating multiple power centres," Yadav observed, adding that the arrangement has left both leaders and party workers dissatisfied.
High Command’s approach
The situation worsened after tensions escalated between Baghel, Channi, Randhawa and Rana Gurjit Singh.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge declined to meet the Punjab leadership directly and instead asked them to take up the matter with party general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, further fuelling resentment within the state unit.
The only practical way to restore order would be for Raja Warring to voluntarily step aside. "If corrective steps are not taken quickly, the Congress risks repeating its 2022 debacle, when the AAP swept to power with a massive mandate," Yadav said.
AAP’s benefit
The political fallout, he noted, comes at a time when the Punjab government faces criticism over recurring paper leak controversies, persistent drug abuse, deteriorating law and order, mounting financial stress, and concerns over the resurgence of separatist sentiments.
"Instead of capitalising on the AAP government's vulnerabilities, the Congress is busy fighting itself," Yadav said.
Also read: Congress misreads Punjab again; ‘revamp’ shows leadership’s fear of cracking the whip
The continuing turmoil could reshape Punjab's electoral landscape. With the AAP facing anti-incumbency, the Congress consumed by internal battles, the Shiromani Akali Dal yet to recover from successive defeats, and the BJP still lacking a strong independent base in the state, the absence of a cohesive opposition could create a political vacuum that fringe forces may seek to exploit ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.