The Congress party has reportedly initiated fresh efforts to resolve internal differences within its Punjab unit ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, with election strategist Naresh Arora playing a key role in the reconciliation process. According to party sources, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi recently held a private meeting in Delhi, marking their first formal interaction since the announcement of the party's new Punjab leadership team.

Sources say that the closed-door meeting, held on Tuesday, was also attended by Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Although the details of the discussion have not been disclosed, party insiders claimed the talks were positive and represented a step towards easing tensions between the rival factions. However, when questioned, Warring denied that such a meeting had taken place, while Naresh Arora declined to comment on the reports.

The reported reconciliation efforts come after the Congress high command decided on July 1 to retain Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president. Channi was appointed chairman of the party's campaign committee, while Randhawa was named head of the core committee. The appointments, however, triggered dissatisfaction among several Punjab Congress MLAs and former candidates, with Channi and Randhawa leading demands for a change in the state leadership.

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In response to the growing discord, Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel spent several days in Chandigarh meeting party leaders to contain the crisis. Organisation General Secretary K.C. Venugopal later summoned Channi, Randhawa and other leaders to Delhi, urging them to maintain party discipline. Following those discussions, Channi publicly stated that he accepted the decisions taken by the party's central leadership, and senior leaders later attended a joint meeting at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.

Despite the public display of unity, party sources claim relations between Warring and Channi remain strained. While Congress projected the earlier meeting as evidence that the dispute had been resolved, insiders described it as largely symbolic, alleging the two leaders have remained out of regular communication. The differences also appeared evident during a recent Parliament protest led by Warring demanding the resignation of Punjab's education minister, where both Channi and Randhawa were absent.

The Congress leadership is now reportedly hoping that Naresh Arora can help bridge the divide before the Punjab Assembly elections. Arora's consultancy, DesignBoxed, previously worked on the Congress campaign during the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections and also played a role in the party's successful Karnataka Assembly election campaign by helping improve coordination between senior leaders. While Sunil Kanugolu continues to oversee the Congress campaign in Punjab, the outcome of the reported Delhi meeting could prove significant in determining whether the party succeeds in presenting a united front before voters.

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