NEW DELHI: Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday changed his X bio to “former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President” amid speculation that the Congress high command has asked the Ludhiana MP to step down from the top party post in the state amid a factional feud.This comes hours after Warring declined to comment on reports that the party high command had decided to replace him, saying that “some issues are internal”.The move comes after months of infighting within the Punjab Congress, which intensified after the party high command decided on July 1 to retain Warring as the state unit chief.
A section of leaders led by former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had opposed Warring’s continuation and sought his removal. Leaders aligned with the Channi camp also stayed away from party programmes led by Warring.According to PTI, the Congress general secretary and Punjab in-charge held a series of meetings with state leaders before submitting his report to the party high command on the proposed leadership change.The high command subsequently informed Warring of its decision, party sources told PTI.Sources said the party is looking to appoint a leader who can bring different factions together ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.Former minister and ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as a frontrunner for the post, sources said. The other names being discussed include former Olympian and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, former MLA Rana KP Singh, Raja Sansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.The leadership tussle has played out publicly in recent months, raising concerns within the party over its impact on the Congress campaign as it seeks to return to power in Punjab.The factionalism has also added to concerns over the party’s ability to consolidate its organisation ahead of the assembly polls.Asked about the possibility of a change in the Punjab Congress leadership on Tuesday, Channi said the decision was the prerogative of the party high command.
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“It is the prerogative of Rahul Gandhi and (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji. Only they know who is to be appointed or when is to be changed,” Channi told reporters in Delhi.Warring had also faced criticism from sections of the party over the Congress’ electoral performance in Punjab and his leadership.In August, he defended himself against criticism over the party’s decline in the 2022 assembly elections, questioning attempts to hold him responsible for the loss.“The only mistake is that when the Congress Party had 80 seats, we came down from 80 to 18 seats. Is that my fault? Captain Amarinder Singh led the government twice. From 80 seats, we came down to 18 seats,” he had said.