Daijiworld Media Network – Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Oct 1: Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has resigned as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president amid months of factional differences within the state unit, with the Congress expected to name his successor within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Former minister Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as a frontrunner for the post, while Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa are also among the names being considered, according to party sources. Reports said the Congress leadership has conveyed its decision to replace Warring, following which he offered his resignation.
The leadership change comes months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections and follows prolonged differences within the state Congress unit. Warring had taken charge as Punjab Congress president in April 2022.
The differences between Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had become increasingly visible in recent months, with rival factions emerging within the party. The Congress high command had earlier attempted to address the differences by retaining Warring as state president and appointing Channi as chairman of the party's campaign committee for the 2027 elections.
The leadership issue resurfaced after Congress appointed Sachin Pilot as Punjab in-charge. According to party sources, Pilot's consultations with state leaders and a subsequent report on the organisational situation and factionalism in Punjab contributed to the decision to change the state unit chief.
Warring and Channi had publicly appeared together at a Congress protest in Chandigarh earlier in September, in an effort to project unity within the state unit. However, reports of continuing organisational differences persisted.
The Congress is expected to announce Warring's successor shortly. Besides Singla, Pargat Singh and Randhawa have been mentioned among the possible contenders, while other names have also been discussed within the party.
Warring, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana, is expected to continue his political activities after stepping down from the state Congress post.