With less than a year left before Punjab moves closer to 2027 Assembly elections one big question is being discussed in political circles: Why is Congress struggling to emerge as a strong opposition despite being one of Punjab's largest political forces?
Many political observers believe the biggest challenge facing Congress today is not its rivals but its very own internal divisions.
Congress leaders continue to target ruling AAP government but the party has often appeared divided from within as different groups led by senior leaders such as Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Charanjit Singh Channi, Pratap Singh Bajwa and others are seen as operating separately and these camps regularly make headlines creating an impression of infighting within the party itself and political experts say that while AAP and BJP are fighting political battles against their opponents Congress often finds itself dealing with internal disagreements and this has affected party's ability to build momentum on ground.
Another challenge for Congress is that it has struggled to establish itself as main opposition force as interestingly CM Mann and AAP leaders often focus their attacks more on BJP rather than on Congress and this has led to questions about who AAP sees as its biggest rival in Punjab ahead of 2027: BJP, Congress or Akali Dal?
The recent election results have also raised concerns for Congress.
In Tarn Taran Assembly by-election held in November 2025 AAP retained the seat and although AAP's vote share declined by around 4.5% points compared to 2022 Assembly elections the party still managed to win comfortably and this result was important because it came after AAP's disappointing performance in 2024 Lok Sabha elections where it won only three of Punjab's 13 parliamentary seats.
The Tarn Taran victory gave the ruling party much needed relief and confidence and it also continued AAP's winning streak in Assembly by-elections. The party had earlier won Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Ludhiana West and winning five by-polls in a row has helped AAP maintain political momentum before 2027 elections.
Gidderbaha by-election result in 2024 was also particularly significant as AAP candidate Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon defeated Congress candidate Amrita Warring wife of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring by nearly 22,000 votes and this defeat was seen as a major setback for Congress because Gidderbaha had traditionally been considered a strong Congress area associated with Raja Warring.
Congress has also faced disappointments in several municipal and civic body elections held in Punjab in recent years and while party continues to win pockets of support it has not been able to convert that support into a statewide political wave.
Many analysts believe Congress is also facing organisational problems.
Leaders continue to raise issues against the government but the party has struggled to build strong public movements around those issues and critics say Congress has not been able to consistently present itself as a powerful alternative government so because of these challenges, discussions about major organisational changes have once again started within party.
Officially Congress has not announced any leadership change and senior leaders have repeatedly said that Amarinder Singh Raja Warring will continue as Punjab Congress president however reports and political discussions continue to suggest that the party may make important changes before 2027 elections.
According to political observers Congress could consider appointing new faces in key positions such as Punjab Congress president, Leader of Opposition and election in-charge and the thinking behind such a move could be to create a balanced leadership team representing different communities and some reports suggest the party may try to include one Hindu leader, one Jat Sikh leader and one Dalit leader in these important positions to broaden its appeal among different voter groups.
While several other names are being discussed for larger roles in future.
Among them is Pargat Singh, MLA from Jalandhar Cantt and former Indian hockey star who is often seen as a clean and experienced leader with strong roots in Doaba region. Former Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi remains a strong Dalit face of Congress and is considered close to party high command as well.
Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa continues to be one of the most vocal critics of AAP government and is frequently mentioned in discussions about future leadership roles while Rana Gurjeet Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Vijay Inder Singla and Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh are also among leaders whose names are often discussed in political circles. At the same time Raja Warring remains in contention to continue leading the party.
As Punjab moves closer to 2027 Assembly elections Congress faces a crucial challenge and the party still has experienced leaders a strong voter base in many regions and a significant presence in state politics however unless it reduces internal divisions, strengthens its organisation and presents a united front it may find it difficult to challenge AAP effectively.
