Former Punjab Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi is reportedly unhappy with Congress high command's recent organisational reshuffle in Punjab and the development comes after the party retained existing top leadership despite speculation that Channi could be given a bigger organisational role ahead of 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Congress recently announced its new organisational structure for Punjab and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has been retained as president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) while Partap Singh Bajwa continues as Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meanwhile Charanjit Singh Channi has been appointed Chairman of Campaign Committee which is considered a key position that will oversee party's election campaign and strategy.
According to party sources Channi was among frontrunners for the post of PPCC president however Congress high command decided to continue with Raja Warring as state chief and although Channi has been given an important responsibility sources say he and some other senior leaders are unhappy with the decision to retain current leadership.
The latest developments are also linked to Channi's earlier remarks on representation within the Punjab Congress, earlier this year, Channi had publicly raised concerns over the lack of Dalit representation in the party's top organisational positions and had pointed out that major posts such as the PPCC president and the CLP leader were held by upper-caste leaders and his comments had triggered a discussion within the party about representation and leadership.
Punjab has one of the highest Dalit populations among Indian states, and Channi remains the state's first Dalit Chief Minister and his remarks were seen by many as highlighting the need for greater representation of Dalit leaders in the party's organisational structure.
Following the announcement of the new committees, Channi has reportedly called an urgent meeting of senior Congress leaders at his residence to discuss the latest developments and the meeting is expected to focus on the party's internal situation after the reshuffle and the concerns of senior leaders.
The move has raised fresh questions about unity within the Punjab Congress as party leaders are keen to avoid a repeat of internal divisions that affected the Congress before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and that time, differences among senior leaders became one of the major challenges for the party.
Congress high command has attempted to balance different groups by distributing responsibilities among senior leaders. Along with Channi's appointment as Chairman of the Campaign Committee, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has been made Chairman of the Core Committee, while Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh has been appointed Chairman of the Manifesto Committee while Vijay Inder Singla has been named Chairman of the Election Management and Coordination Committee and the party has also appointed Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Raj Kumar Verka and Sangat Singh Gilzian as working presidents of the Punjab Congress meanwhile several other senior leaders, including Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjeet Singh, OP Soni and Razia Sultana, have been given responsibilities in different committees.
According to party sources, the high command decided to continue with the existing leadership because there was no consensus among senior Punjab Congress leaders and instead of changing the top leadership, the party distributed organisational responsibilities among different leaders in an effort to keep all major factions involved in the preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Meanwhile Congress MP Manish Tewari also drew attention after he was left out of the Punjab Congress organisational appointments and reacting on social media, Tewari shared a cryptic message saying he wished he had an antidote for the insecurities of individuals and institutions, while adding that the Congress had given him much over the past 45 years and that he had devoted his adult life to the party. Tewari currently represents Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha and has earlier represented Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana parliamentary constituencies.