Chandigarh: Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring clarified on Saturday that he is not a contender for the chief ministerial face ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Speaking to the media in Chandigarh, Warring stated that the authority to designate the party’s leader for the state election rests solely with the Congress high command, specifically naming national party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi. The announcement comes amid growing friction within the state unit, following demands from several factions to project former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the central leadership face for the upcoming electoral campaign.
The statement from the state unit chief follows a significant organisational reshuffle by the All India Congress Committee, which opted to maintain the status quo by retaining Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president and Partap Singh Bajwa as the Leader of the Opposition. While Channi was appointed as the chairman of the election campaign committee to balance regional representation, his supporters subsequently gathered at his Morinda residence to challenge the decision, openly calling for Warring’s replacement and demanding Channi be named the presumptive chief ministerial candidate. Addressing these internal divisions, Warring maintained that his singular focus remains on mobilizing the party base and steering the Congress back to power in Punjab, rather than pursuing personal elevation. He reiterated his complete alignment with the central leadership, promising full organizational backing to whichever candidate the high command eventually selects to lead the state.
