In the run-up to the 2027 Assembly polls in Punjab, the Congress is once again playing out a familiar script of internal factionalism that affects the party’s chances of a comeback. The only difference this time is that the script is separated by different time intervals and features changed characters.
Just days after the party’s high command reshuffled the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in an attempt to project unity —retaining Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the PPCC chief— an open rebellion has erupted. Supporters of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi gathered at his Morinda residence on Friday in a public display of resentment, demanding Warring’s immediate removal.
The former CM, who has been appointed head of the Campaign Committee, is reportedly sulking over Warring being put back in the driving seat. While other senior leaders were also given roles in the election management, coordination and manifesto committees, what was designed as a “collective” leadership model could not withstand the “internal unrest”. Instead of soothing tensions, the high command decision has ignited immediate dissent that threatens a vertical split in the party.
Infighting has essentially become a permanent feature of Punjab Congress politics. Political analysts note that whether it was 2015, 2021, or 2026, party leaders have routinely allowed internal factionalism, ego clashes and personal ambitions to overtly or covertly sabotage the party’s fortunes.
In a flashback of 2021, a group led by former CM Charanjit Channi and former PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu spearheaded the coup against the then CM, Captain Amarinder Singh. Sinking their personal egos, the entire senior state leadership ultimately aligned to dethrone Captain Amarinder, believing that anti-incumbency against his government and his alleged closeness to the BJP could cost the party dearly in the 2022 elections. However, that unity was short-lived. The relentless power struggle between Channi (who was projected as the CM face) and Sidhu severely damaged the Punjab Congress, causing a humiliating defeat in the 2022 Assembly elections when the party was reduced to just 18 seats. The continuous infighting demoralised the party cadre and alienated voters, prompting prominent leaders like Sunil Jakhar, Kewal Dhillon, Fateh Bajwa, and Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi to defect to the BJP.
Back in 2015, the then MP from Amritsar, Captain Amarinder Singh (who was also the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha), successfully dethroned Partap Singh Bajwa as the PPCC chief. Channi, who had supported Captain Amarinder in his campaign against Bajwa, became the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 2015, replacing Jakhar.
That move to replace Bajwa was timed almost a year ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, which saw the party win a resounding 77 out of 117 seats. Ironically, Bajwa, who was the victim of the 2015 rebellion, is now the Leader of the Opposition and is reportedly siding with Channi to topple Warring, proving that politics makes strange bedfellows.
A senior political leader remarked that Channi is playing from the very playbook that defined Punjab Congress politics a decade ago. However, this time the timing could go wrong, as only eight months remain before the upcoming Assembly polls.
Party well-wishers can only hope that, this time around, infighting will finally give way to resilience.
