Punjab Congress goes into poll mode under Pargat Singh, plans rally and statewide outreach

New Delhi: After settling the leadership question with the appointment of Olympian Pargat Singh as state president, the Congress will kickstart its assembly election campaign with a "Lalkaar" rally, likely in Amritsar.

As the Congress seeks to put its house in order, the central leadership wants the rally to provide a visual statement of unity. The grand finale will see former state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi together on the same stage, along with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, state in-charge Sachin Pilot and party veterans, including Ambika Soni. Gandhi is expected to launch the campaign with an obeisance at the Golden Temple.

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The exercise will be closely watched because bringing Warring and Channi together has been one of the biggest challenges for the Congress in Punjab. In September, Pilot had managed to bring the two together on a public platform in Chandigarh. However, that did not end the feud. Pilot is now involved in preparations for the proposed rally.

The state unit is also exploring the possibility of a bus yatra, with senior leaders travelling together across different parts of Punjab. The idea is to create a visible show of collective leadership and take the Congress campaign directly to voters rather than confining it to large rallies. The proposed mass outreach programme will cover all 117 assembly constituencies.

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The electoral challenge is formidable. In the 2022 assembly elections, the Congress was reduced to 18 seats in the 117-member House, down sharply from the 77 seats it had won in 2017.

The appointment of Pargat Singh is seen as an attempt to reset the state unit after months of factionalism.

But the problems within the Punjab Congress are far from over. As the new team tried to settle into the Congress headquarters in Chandigarh, there were squabbles over rooms. This is a reminder of the larger challenge confronting the party: managing egos and ambitions within an organisation that is attempting to project unity.