The factional conflict between the Warring and Channi camps has gotten worse during the AICC in-charge’s two visits to the poll-bound state.
With AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Bhupesh Baghel’s nine-day organizational trip of the state on July 31, the Congress in Punjab hoped to “strengthen itself in weak booths.” Rather, by August 8, when the visit came to a conclusion, the party was battling internal power struggles and divisions as rival sections engaged in public altercations.
Supporters of state Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and occasionally Baghel himself were at the center of the fighting.
Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda, Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Moga, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Khanna, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, and Ropar were among the approximately eighteen districts covered by the party’s “Har booth, Congress Mazboot” tour, which took place between July 31 and August 8.
The organization’s message was frequently overshadowed by a well-known one: remove Warring as state chief and designate Channi as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the 2027 Assembly elections, despite Baghel and Warring holding lengthy meetings with district and block-level office-bearers, booth-level agents, former candidates, and employes.
During party programs in Patiala and Sangrur, Channi’s fans sang chants like “Channi lao, Punjab bachao (Bring Channi, save Punjab),” which prompted Baghel to issue cautions that such behavior could result in disciplinary action, including expulsion.
The largest flashpoint turned out to be Ludhiana. Supporters of former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is thot to be linked to Channi, interrupted an organizational meeting by chanting “Baghel go back.” Additionally, several demonstrators donned T-shirts that contrasted Baghel and General Dyer. Posters depicting Channi as a “RSS agent” and the slogans “Channi bhagao, Congress bachao (remove Channi, save Congress)” were displayed in Amritsar in response.
Rival parties engaged in physical combat during the Ludhiana clash. Baghel insisted that the party would not tolerate indiscipline, while Warring accused the demonstrators of acting like “RSS agents” and “sycophants.” A few demonstrators left the gathering.
Similar incidents involving different factions fighting on stage and the need for police intervention were seen in Malerkotla. When Baghel’s tour came to an end in Khanna, workers once more chanted pro-Channi slogans. Some of them left when attempts were made to stop them. Additionally, Moga witnessed flex warfare and posters directed at Baghel and Channi.
It was difficult to ignore the irony: a campaign that was advertized as strengthening the organization frequently revealed how shaky the party’s cohesiveness still was.
But Baghel remained optimistic in public. He indicated that workers were enthusiastic, that the public was strongly opposed to the AAP government, and that the Congress was getting ready to run for a full mandate in 2027.
However, party leaders privately voiced worry that the tour’s goal was being overshadowed by the optics of frequent confrontations. They claimed that the message being conveyed to voters—that the Punjab Congress was still focused on its internal leadership struggle—was more concerning than individual altercations.
On August 7, 15 of the party’s 16 MLAs—one of whom has been suspended and joined the BJP—wrote to the high command requesting meetings with AICC general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss “pressing” issues, indicating that the state unit is experiencing a crisis.
