Congress names ex-CM Charanjit Channi as 2027 Punjab poll campaign chief

MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi have been appointed as co-chairpersons of the Charanjit Singh Channi-led panel.

In Short

• Appointments were announced on Wednesday as the party expanded election committees
• Khaira, Rana Gurjeet and Dharamvira Gandhi were named campaign co-chairpersons
• Vijay Inder Singla will oversee election management and coordination efforts

The Congress has stepped up its preparations for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls by announcing the appointment of office-bearers for various election-related committees.

The party has appointed former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the chairperson of the campaign committee, an important position for strategising and planning poll campaigns.

MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi have been appointed as co-chairpersons of the panel. The appointments were announced on Wednesday.

While former Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla has been appointed the chairperson of the election management and coordination panel, senior party leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has been bestowed with the responsibility of the core committee.

Meanwhile, Dr Amar Singh has been entrusted with heading the manifesto committee. The Congress party has also appointed three working presidents and named several co-chairpersons across the various committees to strengthen the organisational structure ahead of the elections.

To accommodate more leaders in the organisational changes, ex-MLAs Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Raj Kumar Verka and Sangat Singh Gilzian have been appointed as working presidents of the Punjab Congress.

While there were broader speculations about a leadership change, the Congress eventually decided to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the head of its Punjab unit.

The party also did not make any change in the position of the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, which is currently held by Qadian MLA Partap Singh Bajwa.

Retaining Warring, a Jat Sikh, as the Punjab Congress chief was a major surprise as there was buzz that the party may bring in a fresh face ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.

The development came days after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, held one-on-one meetings with five senior Punjab Congress leaders amid the speculations.

The names of Channi, Singla and Randhawa were seen as contenders for the post of the Punjab Congress president.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI)