September 6: The Congress has made a significant organisational reshuffle ahead of the crucial 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, appointing senior leader Sachin Pilot as the party’s new general secretary in-charge of Punjab and moving former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to Assam.
The move comes against the backdrop of prolonged factional tensions within the Punjab Congress, putting Pilot in the politically unenviable position of trying to bring rival camps together before the state heads to the polls early next year. Because apparently winning an election wasn’t difficult enough without everyone in the same party fighting each other first.
Baghel had been handling Punjab since February 2025, but his tenure coincided with growing disagreements over the state organisation, particularly following the Congress high command’s decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president while appointing former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as chairman of the campaign committee.
The leadership arrangement failed to settle the dispute. Leaders associated with the Channi camp continued to press for changes, while differences also emerged involving other senior figures, including Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Reports said Baghel faced criticism from rival factions over his handling of the internal dispute.
Pilot gets a high-stakes assignment
Pilot’s appointment places him at the centre of the Congress’s Punjab election strategy. His immediate challenge will be to restore organisational unity, manage competing leadership ambitions and build an election-ready state unit before the campaign gathers pace.
The reshuffle also comes shortly after a high-level Congress meeting on Punjab, with the party leadership signalling that organisational changes were necessary to address the continuing crisis. Rahul Gandhi is also expected to undertake a Punjab programme as the party intensifies preparations for the Assembly polls.
For Pilot, the assignment is more than another organisational posting. It gives the Congress leader a major electoral responsibility in a state where the party must confront the Aam Aadmi Party government, while navigating a potentially complicated multi-cornered contest.
Baghel moved to Assam
Baghel, meanwhile, has been appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam, giving the former Chhattisgarh chief minister a fresh organisational assignment as Congress prepares for its own electoral challenges there.
The Punjab change is part of a wider organisational reshuffle. Randeep Singh Surjewala has been appointed Gujarat in-charge while continuing his responsibility for Karnataka, while several other states have also received new organisational assignments.
The message from the Congress high command is unmistakable: Punjab needs political firefighting replaced by electoral mobilisation. Sachin Pilot now has the difficult job of turning a divided organisation into a fighting force before the 2027 battle begins.
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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