Chandigarh, July 6 (IANS) With the Congress camp of MP Charanjit Singh Channi pushing for leadership change in Punjab ahead of the Assembly polls, AICC in-charge for the state, Bhupesh Baghel, will be visiting here from Monday for the next two to three days to meet the state leadership.

A party statement said the purpose of Baghel’s visit is to hold detailed interactions with the chairpersons, co-chairpersons, and members of these committees, understand their plans, and prepare a comprehensive roadmap for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

It said the discussions will focus on strengthening the organisation from the booth-level upwards, improving coordination among various committees, and finalising an action plan to take the Congress message to every village and every city across Punjab.

A series of extensive meetings will be held with committee heads, senior leaders, and organisational functionaries.

The objective is to build a strong and election-ready Congress organisation capable of bringing the party back to power in Punjab in the Assembly elections, said the party.

Last week, supporters, comprising several former legislators, owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, one of the prominent Dalit faces, expressed solidarity and demanded that their leader be appointed the state Congress chief, replacing incumbent Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.

They gave a week’s ultimatum to the party’s central leadership on July 3 to take a call on Channi’s leadership, saying that under Warring’s leadership the Congress cannot come to power. However, later Channi wrote on X that the “Congress party leadership called on me at my residence and urged me to present the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Punjab before the high command”.

The development comes two days after the party’s central leadership decided to retain Warring as the state Congress chief and Partap Singh Bajwa as Leader of Opposition. However, it has appointed Channi as the chairman of the Campaign Committee.

With the Channi camp demanding a leadership change, Raja Warring called for unity. On July 4, he categorically ruled out any factionalism by saying there was nothing wrong with senior party leader Channi holding a meeting of party leaders at his residence.

Warring pointed out that Channi is a former Chief Minister and the Chairman of the party’s Campaign Committee. “What is wrong or factional about his holding a meeting of the party leaders?” He pointed out that all the senior leaders present at the meeting had spoken only in favour of the party.

Replying to a media query, Warring reiterated that he was not in the Chief Ministerial race.

Asked whether Channi should be declared the Chief Ministerial candidate, he said this was not his prerogative but that of the high command, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

–IANS

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