Punjab Congress president Raja Warring resigns; Vijay Inder Singla front-runner
What's the story
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has resigned as the president of the Punjab Congress, multiple reports confirmed on Wednesday night. His successor is likely to be announced within the next 24-48 hours. Former minister Vijay Inder Singla is reportedly leading the race to succeed him, with Jalandhar Cantonment MLA and former hockey captain Pargat Singh and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also in contention.
Leadership challenges
Warring's tenure started in 2022
According to India Today, Congress sources said Warring has communicated that his tenure was over and that he will hand over the position to his successor.
The party is likely to prefer an MLA or former MLA as the new state unit head. Appointing a Jat leader is also a possibility.
Warring had taken over as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president in April 2022 after a major defeat to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Leaders
Pilot's appointment aimed at addressing factionalism in Punjab unit
TOI, citing sources, said the leadership change was approved by central Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal, after discussions with Sachin Pilot, the newly appointed general secretary in charge of Punjab affairs.
Pilot was appointed with the immediate task of tackling factionalism within the Punjab unit ahead of the elections.
Election preparations
Assembly elections in early 2027
The Punjab Assembly elections are due in early 2027. The Congress will be up against the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
A possible alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is in the works, with Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) of jailed MP Amritpal Singh also contesting.
To kickstart its campaign, Gandhi will embark on a bus tour across Punjab.