INC: Leadership Crisis Deepens; Channi Emerges as Political Center

July

2026

The leadership crisis deepened in Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) as a meeting between All India Congress Committee (AICC) state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and Panjab Indian National Congress (INC) leaders, led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, ended on 11 Jul without any immediate resolution. The meeting at the Chandigarh residence of Kapurthala Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rana Gurjeet Singh was attended by 92 leaders, including sitting and former MLAs opposed to Amarinder Singh Raja Warring being retained as the state party president. Warring was not a part of the meeting. The leaders conveyed to Baghel that while they had no personal enmity with Warring, the party ‘could not return to power if a compromised leader was in the saddle’. The reference is to a USD 6.23M bus purchase scam attributed to Warring in 2022. The meeting came days after the INC retained Warring as the PPCC president and appointed Channi as chairman of the campaign committee on 1 Jul. The party members had erupted against the decision of INC high command led by Rahul Gandhi pointing at the close proximity of the Warring to Gandhi as the key factor for the decision. On 8 Jul, Baghel had snubbed the members rebelling against the decision saying, ‘When the high command takes a decision, it is not changed.’ However, the leaders continue to protest the decision. Furthermore, Channi’s growing popularity within the PPCC has made him a political center in the state. Recent meetings at Channi’s residence have reinforced his position as the principal point of consultation for leaders, including senior members, discussing the party’s organizational, and electoral strategy. Furthermore in 2024, Channi was appointed chairperson of the key Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and was selected for the Sansad Ratna Award 2025 for outstanding parliamentary performance, becoming the first Member of Parliament from Panjab in 16 years to receive the honor. Channi remains an important leader of the Scheduled Caste (SC) Sikh community and hails from the Ramdasia sub-caste. He made history in the state by becoming the first SC Chief Minister in 2021. But it remains uncertain whether the INC high command will go back on its decision as the state gears up for Assembly polls in early 2027 (earlier coverage).