Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has announced his resignation from his post amid weeks of infighting within the state unit, with the Congress high command now set to choose his successor ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
According to party sources cited by PTI, the high command had conveyed its decision to replace Warring, following which he offered his resignation. The party is expected to announce his successor shortly.
Former minister and Congress Working Committee member Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as the frontrunner for the post, according to multiple reports. Singla, a former minister and MP, was appointed chairperson of the Congress’s election management and coordination committee in July.
However, several other senior leaders are also being considered. They include Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh, former MLA Rana K.P. Singh, Raja Sansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla has also been mentioned as a possible contender.
Punjab is probably the Congress’s best bet among the seven states going to the polls in 2027. However, the party is grappling with deep factionalism between Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
The murmurs of discontent escalated in July after the Congress decided to retain Warring as the Punjab unit president and appointed Channi as the chairperson of its campaign committee. A section of leaders, led by Channi and Randhawa, opposed the decision to retain Warring as Punjab Congress president and sought his removal from the post.
The leadership question gained fresh momentum after Sachin Pilot took over as the AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab. The decision to replace Warring came days after Pilot held a discussion with Congress top brass, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
The Congress faces the challenge of rebuilding its organisation ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. In the 2022 polls, the party won 18 of Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats, down sharply from the 77 seats it won in 2017.
With Warring’s successor yet to be formally announced, speculation is rife over who will replace him. While Channi’s supporters are pushing for his appointment, reports suggest that the party may be looking for a leader who can bring both the Channi and Warring camps together ahead of the Assembly polls.
