Overview
- Leaders aligned with former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi met AICC Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel at Rana Gurjit Singh’s residence on Saturday to press their grievances and present party workers’ sentiments.
- The high command had on July 1 retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab unit president and named Channi chair of the campaign committee, a decision Baghel has publicly defended as final.
- The Channi group demanded either a larger organisational role for Channi or that he be projected as the Congress' chief ministerial face for the 2027 assembly polls, and many in the group refused to invite Warring into the talks.
- Baghel spent nearly two hours listening to the dissidents, warned against indiscipline, and said he will submit a detailed report to the Congress leadership with no immediate reversal announced.
- Punjab is a high-stakes battleground for Congress ahead of 2027, and the dispute highlights internal tensions over party control, Dalit representation and campaign strategy that could affect ticketing, voter outreach and morale on the ground.