Channi’s options shrink as Congress refuses to budge in Punjab

Summary

Subscribed with another email? Unlock these with Subscription Published - August 05, 2026 01:01 am IST - CHANDIGARH Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress’s most prominent Dalit face in the State, may have to accept a diminished role in the party. | Photo Credit: File Photo Less than a year before the Punjab Assembly election, Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi finds himself in a difficult position after locking horns with the party leadership over the recent organisation overhaul. The discord was triggered by the All India Congress Committee’s organisational overhaul on July 1. On July 3, the Lok Sabha member from Jalandhar and Congress’s most prominent Dalit face in the State convened a meeting of supporters at his Morinda residence, followed by another gathering in Mohali, in a clear show of strength aimed at persuading the high command to revisit its decision. He was conspicuous by his absence from an event last week, where Congress general secretary for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel kicked off a nine-day mass mobilisation programme. Warring as the Punjab Congress president, the faction led by the former CM has shown little sign of backing down. Channi, leaders such as Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Rana Gurjit are also believed to be upset with the revamp of the party unit, even as veteran leader Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition in the State, is pushing for party unity to wrest power from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). “It appears that Congress factions are weighing their options and trying to outwit each other to gain a political edge. Channi, who was also the party’s chief ministerial face in the previous poll in which the Congress suffered a crushing defeat, called for “greater Dalit representation” in the party, adding that the community is “not getting due representation”. His remark, which brought the internal discord within the Congress into public, assumed significance given that Dalits constitute nearly 32% of Punjab’s population — the highest proportion among Indian States — making them a decisive electoral constituency. For the Congress, which had been emerging as a serious contender for the 2027 election, the continuing drama could result in loss of momentum.