Bhupesh Baghel Steps Down From Congress Role In Punjab
Baghel’s Punjab role ends amid Congress’s organisational challenges.
Bhupesh Baghel was sent to Punjab with a clear task — to strengthen the Congress organisation ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections and contain growing differences within the state unit. Instead, his tenure as Punjab Congress in-charge was marked by repeated factional clashes, public protests and growing questions over the party's leadership strategy.
Baghel's assignment unfolded against a continuing power struggle between Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. His first major intervention came in July, when he held meetings with party leaders amid demands from the Channi camp for Warring's removal. Baghel maintained that there was no rebellion within the party and described the differences as a "spirit of competition", while backing the existing leadership arrangement and warning against indiscipline.
The effort to contain the dispute, however, soon faced a public test. During Baghel's statewide organisational tour, internal differences increasingly spilled into open party programmes. At a Congress event in Patiala, workers raised slogans including "Channi lao, Punjab bachao" in the presence of Baghel and Warring. The situation became more embarrassing in Ludhiana on August 6, when a Congress meeting aimed at preparing the organisation for the 2027 elections was disrupted by protesters raising "Bhupesh Baghel Go Back" slogans.
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The Ludhiana episode further exposed the depth of the factional divide, with supporters of Channi loyalist Bharat Bhushan Ashu reportedly turning up in anti-Baghel T-shirts and rival groups clashing at the venue. Baghel's warnings of disciplinary action did little to end the confrontation, as the Channi camp continued to question Warring's leadership while competing factions sought to demonstrate their influence across the state. A later Congress gathering at Baba Bakala again highlighted the divisions, with Channi and his supporters putting up a strong show while Warring's camp was notably absent from the stage.
The continuing dispute eventually drew the attention of the Congress high command, with Punjab MLAs seeking intervention from the central leadership. The party has now replaced Baghel with Sachin Pilot as general secretary in-charge of Punjab, marking a significant change in its approach as it prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections. The leadership change comes after months in which efforts to manage the factional tensions failed to produce a lasting settlement.
Baghel's exit leaves Pilot with the difficult task of addressing the same divisions that overshadowed his predecessor's tenure. The challenge extends beyond disagreements between individual leaders, as the Punjab unit remains divided over leadership, organisational control and political strategy. For Congress, the immediate test will be whether Pilot can bring the rival camps together and build a more cohesive organisation before the 2027 electoral battle.
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