States » NorthPosted at: Oct 1 2026 2:35PM


Warring offers to quit as Punjab Congress Chief, Singla emerges frontrunner ahead of 2027 polls

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Oct 1 (UNI) Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has offered his resignation after the party high command decided on a leadership change in the state unit, setting off intense consultations over his successor just months before the 2027 Assembly elections.
Former Sangrur MP and ex-Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as a frontrunner for the post, while several other senior leaders are also being considered, party sources said. The Congress has yet to formally announce Warring's successor.
The move followed an organisational assessment by newly appointed Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot, who held consultations with senior state leaders and submitted his feedback to the central leadership.
Party sources said the leadership change was discussed by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, as the party seeks to contain persistent factional differences and put its organisation on an election footing.
Reports circulated within party circles that Rahul Gandhi personally spoke to Warring and asked him to step aside, though neither Gandhi nor Warring has publicly confirmed details of any such conversation.
Warring, the Ludhiana MP who has headed the Punjab Congress since April 2022, remained guarded when questioned by reporters on Thursday about reports of his resignation.
“Some matters are internal. I don't want to comment on anything. I will let you know when the time is right,” Warring told reporters.
The impending change has triggered fresh political manoeuvring within the Punjab Congress, with former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa among senior leaders involved in consultations in Delhi.
Channi, whose differences with Warring had surfaced publicly in recent months, sought to play down reports of continuing discord and said decisions on party appointments rested with the central leadership.
“Whatever differences were there have been resolved. We will all work together,” Channi said, adding that the high command would decide “who has to be appointed, when and where”.
Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, responding to questions about a possible organisational reshuffle, said, “The weather and the president can change at any time.”
Singla's emergence as a leading contender comes as the central leadership weighs several political and organisational factors while choosing a chief who would be expected to work with competing groups within the state unit. Pargat Singh, Randhawa and other senior leaders have also figured in discussions over the post.
Punjab Congress working president Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala, meanwhile, denied that the developments reflected a crisis within the organisation.
“There is no conflict in the party. Congress is one family,” Bandala said, adding that organisational appointments and changes were the prerogative of the party high command and its decisions would be accepted by state leaders.
Bandala said the Congress is preparing for the 2027 Assembly election and claimed the party is receiving strong support during its outreach in villages and towns.
He also said Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Punjab in the coming period and would play an active role in the party's election campaign.
Responding to criticism from Aam Aadmi Party leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Bandala accused the ruling party of facing problems of its own.
“AAP leaders should worry about their own party instead of worrying about Congress,” he said, claiming that Congress would return to power in Punjab in 2027.
The leadership shake-up comes after months of visible differences among senior Punjab Congress leaders. The central leadership is now expected to announce its decision on the next state president shortly as the party seeks to present a more united organisation ahead of the Assembly election.UNI NB AAB
Tags: #Warring offers to quit as Punjab Congress Chief# Singla emerges frontrunner ahead of 2027 polls
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