States » NorthPosted at: Oct 1 2026 3:50PM


Warring quits as Punjab Congress chief; Singla frontrunner as leadership race widens

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Oct 1 (UNI) -Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has resigned as Punjab Congress president after the party high command decided on a leadership change ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, triggering an intense race for the top organisational post with former Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla emerging as a frontrunner.
The shake-up follows an organisational review by Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot, who held a series of consultations with senior leaders and party functionaries before submitting his assessment to the Congress leadership.
Warring subsequently submitted his resignation and changed his social media profile to describe himself as “Ex President PPCC”, signalling the end of his tenure at the helm of the state unit.
The Congress is expected to announce his successor shortly.
Singla, a former MP and former Punjab minister, has emerged as one of the strongest contenders, though several other senior leaders are also in contention as the high command weighs political, regional and community equations before making its choice.
Singla, however, sought to distance himself from speculation over his possible elevation and said he has received no communication from the leadership.
“I have no information about any change. Raja Warring is our president and we all work together as a team,” Singla said.
Asked about reports that he could travel to Delhi amid the leadership churn, Singla said he has no such plans.
“Why should I go to Delhi? I already have programmes scheduled in villages in Sangrur and I am busy with them. I go to Delhi only when there is some work or when I am called by the high command,” he said.
Singla said he remained a disciplined party worker and would discharge whatever responsibility the Congress assigned to him.
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, whose differences with Warring had repeatedly surfaced in recent months, said the choice of the state president rested entirely with the Congress central leadership.
“It is the right of the Congress party, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. They know whom to appoint where and when a change has to be made,” Channi said.
“They will decide whether a change is required or not. Such things keep happening and reshuffles take place,” he added.
Channi also welcomed Pilot's appointment as Punjab affairs in-charge, saying it had generated fresh optimism among party workers.
“Sachin Pilot has come from our neighbouring state and his arrival has brought a new ray of hope among our workers,” Channi said.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had appeared to hint at an impending organisational change even before Warring's exit became clear.
Asked at a Chandigarh press conference about the possibility of the Punjab Congress president being changed, Bajwa said: “You never know when the weather may change and when the president may change.”
Bajwa has otherwise maintained that the question of leadership should be settled by the party high command and that the immediate priority for Punjab Congress leaders should be to remain united and return the party to power in 2027.
“The decision whom to appoint to lead will be taken by the high command,” Bajwa said recently, stressing that all leaders must work together for the Assembly elections.
Besides Singla, names being discussed for the post include Channi, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh and other senior state leaders, according to party sources.
The choice could require the high command to navigate competing claims over regional, caste and community representation within the Punjab unit. Singla's possible elevation has brought the question of Hindu representation into the internal debate, while some party leaders favour retaining a Sikh face at the helm.
Warring, the Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana, had been Punjab Congress president since April 2022, taking charge after the party lost power in that year's Assembly election.
The high command had retained him during an earlier organisational exercise despite demands for a change and sought to balance competing groups by assigning responsibilities to Channi and other senior leaders. The arrangement, however, failed to fully contain factional differences.
After taking charge of Punjab affairs on September 5, Pilot met senior leaders and functionaries and gathered organisational feedback. The Congress high command subsequently decided to change the state leadership.
The spotlight is now on the choice of Warring's successor as the Congress seeks to settle its internal leadership question and move into campaign mode for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election.
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Tags: #Warring quits as Punjab Congress chief; Singla frontrunner as leadership race widens
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