Internal differences within the Punjab Congress have once again come into focus as the party prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections and the latest disagreement between the camps led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has become more visible, prompting Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel to begin a nine-day visit to assess the situation on the ground.
After meeting party leaders in Punjab, Baghel said he had submitted a report to the Congress high command and following this, senior leaders were called for discussions. Channi later met Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and said Rahul Gandhi is the party's leader and that the Congress will fight the elections under his leadership and he also said that "all is well" within the party.
However, the political differences between the two camps continue as leaders close to Channi have maintained that the Punjab Assembly election cannot be won under Raja Warring's leadership and have demanded that he be removed as the state Congress president.
On the other hand, Raja Warring said the post of state president is not the most important issue for him and he said that even if the party does not give him an election ticket, he will not leave the Congress. Warring also said the party must change with the times because elections will now be fought through mobile phones and digital campaigns, praising other senior leaders, Warring said leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa and Charanjit Singh Channi are more capable than him and added that one must have a large heart while working for the party.
During the visit, Baghel is gathering feedback from booth-level workers to understand who has greater support among party workers and the public and his tour began with a meeting in Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib, under the "Har Booth, Congress Mazboot" campaign. The campaign aims to strengthen the party's booth-level organisation before the elections. The meetings are being attended by block and district office-bearers, Seva Dal and Youth Congress members, MPs and candidates who contested the 2022 Assembly elections. Raja Warring was also present alongside Baghel during the meetings.
Baghel has also announced that he will hold press conferences in every district during the tour, where he plans to target both the BJP-led central government and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab.
Baghel also accused the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party of practising politics of vendetta, while saying Congress does not believe in revenge politics and referring to the next Assembly election, Baghel said Punjab may witness a five-cornered contest. He said the election would not be decided by a political wave but by strong booth management. He also hinted that the Punjab Assembly election could be held earlier than scheduled, possibly in November or December 2026, instead of 2027. He said the Congress has already entered "election mode" and will use the nine-day tour to strengthen its organisation.
Meanwhile, a social media post by Channi's younger son, Rhythmjit Singh, has also attracted attention. He shared an Instagram Reel featuring Channi with supporters in the background and the video included a message asking supporters to remain patient and saying that every move would be answered at the right time. The Reel was also shared by Channi's elder son, Navjit Singh.
When asked why Channi's brother, Dr. Manohar Singh, was not invited to the meeting, Baghel said only Congress members were invited and pointed out that Dr. Manohar Singh had contested the previous election as an Independent candidate, while esponding to the Reel shared by Channi's son, Raja Warring said the young leader was like a son to him as well.
Baghel faces two major challenges during this visit. The first is bringing together rival factions within the Punjab Congress and during his previous visit, supporters of Channi and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had stayed away from party meetings, and the differences remained unresolved.
The second challenge is implementing the Congress high command's decision to retain Raja Warring as the Punjab Congress president despite opposition from the Channi camp, which has so far not fully participated in election committee meetings and the outcome of Baghel's visit is expected to play an important role in shaping the party's preparations for the upcoming Assembly election.
