Punjab, India – A senior Punjab Congress leader met with District Congress Committee chiefs and senior party figures in an effort to prepare for the state assembly elections, but the meeting did not include the party’s chief, Captain Amarinder Singh, who is in charge of the Punjab unit. The absence of Singh’s camp, which is led by former chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s son, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and the party’s current president, Ajay Maken, has raised questions about the cohesion of the Punjab Congress.
The meeting, held in Chandigarh, was convened by the party’s national president, Mallika Singh Baghel, who is reportedly travelling across the state to meet local leaders and gauge the party’s electoral prospects. However, the Punjab Congress leadership reportedly declined to attend the outreach session, prompting Baghel to express her disappointment publicly.
Baghel said that the Punjab Congress’s “candidacy process is a matter of concern” and that her team would meet with the party’s senior leaders in a day or two to discuss the situation. She also noted that the party’s senior officials had not been present at the meeting, which she described as a “crack wide open in Punjab Congress.”
The Punjab Congress has been struggling to maintain a united front ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Earlier this month, the party’s state unit issued a statement in which it said it was “working on a common platform” that would address the state’s key issues, including agricultural reforms and unemployment. However, the statement was vague in terms of concrete policy proposals.
The Punjab Congress leadership has not yet responded to Baghel’s remarks or confirmed whether the senior leaders will attend a meeting in the coming days. The party is currently preparing for the upcoming assembly elections, which are scheduled for early 2027.
Analysis: The Punjab Congress’s apparent split between the state unit and the national leadership could weaken the party’s electoral prospects in a state where it has struggled to retain voters in recent elections. The absence of the Punjab Congress’s senior leaders from the outreach meeting may signal deeper disagreements over candidate selection and campaign strategy. Whether the party can reconcile these differences before the election remains uncertain.
Sources
The Hindu, “Cracks wide open in Punjab Congress as Channi camp skips Baghel’s outreach meetings,” March 12, 2026. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/cracks-wide-open-in-punjab-congress-as-channi-camp-skips-baghels-outreach-meetings/article71195473.ece
Story synopsis gathered from: The Hindu – National — source
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