The Congress high command has turned to Sachin Pilot to take charge of its Punjab unit ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, replacing former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as the AICC general secretary in-charge of the state. The move comes amid prolonged factional differences involving senior Punjab leaders.
The change was announced on Saturday, September 5, a day after Rahul Gandhi held a crucial meeting with Punjab leaders in Delhi over the prolonged infighting. Baghel has been shifted to Assam in the same role.
What CNN-News18 has learnt is that Baghel’s position in the Punjab unit had weakened amid allegations that he was “favouring” state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in his dispute with former chief minister
and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi.
Channi has been seeking Warring’s removal ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections and had rejected Baghel’s attempts to broker a truce.
Several anti-Baghel slogans were raised in Punjab, while posters targeting him also surfaced. Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s bus yatra, the Congress needed someone who could maintain a balance among all factions and keep the rival camps together. Baghel, however, had failed to unite the different camps.
Why Baghel was replaced
Baghel’s tenure as Punjab in-charge, which began in February 2025, was marked by continuing differences between camps led by Warring, Channi and former minister S.S. Randhawa.
A senior Congress functionary said, Baghel was seen as being too close to Warring. Rival camps had complained to the top leadership, alleging that Baghel was unfair in his handling of the factional differences.
His report card to Rahul Gandhi, particularly his assessment of Warring, had triggered discontent within the rival camp.
Leaders close to the Channi camp have also claimed that Baghel failed to effectively communicate ground realities in Punjab to the high command, weakening confidence in his mediation.
The reshuffle came as the Congress leadership signalled that “tough political and organisational changes” were being considered to address the divisions.
Why Pilot has been given Punjab
Congress is now looking to Pilot’s experience in managing factional politics in Rajasthan.
Pilot himself was at the centre of a prolonged political struggle with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. After Congress won the 2018 Assembly election, the high command chose Gehlot as chief minister despite Pilot having led much of the campaign effort.
In 2020, Pilot’s camp moved a group of MLAs to Delhi in a political crisis that threatened the government’s majority. Pilot was subsequently removed as deputy chief minister and from party posts before a partial reconciliation.
Differences resurfaced in 2022-23 over organisational control, ticket distribution and legislative leadership.
Through those battles, Pilot experienced both sides of factional politics – as a challenger to an established leader and as someone whose own camp had to be managed by the high command.
Party insiders describe him as an energetic grassroots leader with appeal among young voters and credit him with organisational work that helped Congress win the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly election.
Punjab’s four-way power struggle
Punjab Congress remains divided among several camps. Warring holds the formal post of state PPCC president, while Channi, who commands support among OBC/Dalit voters and several MLAs and former ministers, is pushing for a change in state leadership.
Partap Singh Bajwa remains influential in Majha and central Punjab and is seen as a key figure between the Warring and Channi camps. S.S. Randhawa, who heads the core committee for 2027, represents another organisational pole.
Other leaders, including Vijay Inder Singla, are involved in election management. The central contest, however, remains over the party’s narrative, tickets and campaign machinery ahead of 2027.
Pilot’s big test before 2027
Pilot’s immediate task is to bring the rival camps together, strengthen the organisation and support Rahul Gandhi’s campaign to reclaim Punjab from the AAP, which defeated Congress in 2022.
The high command has been pushing a “win first, CM later” message, asking leaders to prioritise defeating the AAP rather than fighting over the chief ministerial question.
Rahul Gandhi’s planned unity bus yatra, expected to begin from Amritsar with a visit to the Golden Temple and cover all 117 Assembly seats, is intended to put Warring, Channi, Bajwa and others on the same platform.
The strategy also involves committee-based power-sharing, with different leaders handling campaign, core, manifesto and election-management responsibilities.
But Pilot faces a clear risk. If he is seen as favouring one camp over another on tickets or campaign control, the same “bias” charge that damaged Baghel could quickly follow him.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the Congress high command has limited time.
Meanwhile, Randeep Singh Surjewala has been appointed general secretary in-charge of Gujarat. He will retain his existing responsibility for Karnataka, where the party recently witnessed a smooth transition of power. Punjab is scheduled to go to the polls early next year, while Gujarat will hold its Assembly elections later in the year. The appointments were announced by AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.
