Kejriwal’s hold on AAP weakening, can’t even get a Rajya Sabha member to resign: Baghel

The AAP announced Arora’s candidature for the Ludhiana West Assembly seat where bypolls have been necessitated following the death of incumbent AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi on January 11. The Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the bypoll. If elected, Arora will have to resign from the Rajya Sabha.

On first visit to Punjab after being appointed as the AICC in-charge for state, Baghel was talking to reporters in Chandigarh.

A former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Baghel dismissed suggestions about a change of party president in Punjab and said that the party high command had full confidence in PCC chief

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. However, he said that all district office bearers and other cells of the state unit will soon be revamped and new office bearers will be appointed.

Baghel also said that no discussion on infighting had been held in the open forum that he conducted with the rank and file of the state Congress earlier in the day.

“All leaders are unanimous on their view that everyone has to come together to oust this corrupt and inefficient government from the state,” he said.

However, sources within the party confirmed that several leaders had met Baghel one-on-one at the Congress office. They included former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Vijay Inder Singla, Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, Pargat Singh, Aruna Chaudhary and Rana Gurjit Singh. The leaders are learnt to have apprised Baghel of their perceptions of the party position in the state.

This meeting marked his first official engagement with the state unit since taking on the role, aimed at strategizing for the party’s revival in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Candidates from the last Assembly election were also present and many met Baghel. The discussions focused on gathering insights into the party’s current standing, addressing internal challenges, and formulating plans to strengthen its organizational structure in the state.

The meeting underscored Baghel’s role in stabilizing and energizing the Punjab Congress, leveraging his experience as a seasoned leader from the OBC community and his past success in leading Chhattisgarh to a decisive electoral victory in 2018. His appointment and this interaction signal the Congress high command’s intent to recalibrate its approach in Punjab, a state critical to the party’s national ambitions.

Baghel’s visit came amid reports of groupism within the Punjab Congress, with the central leadership intent on curbing indiscipline. Sources indicate that he sought feedback on a range of issues to bolster the party’s prospects, emphasizing unity and a cohesive strategy to counter the ruling AAP in Punjab.

Prior to the meeting, on Friday, Baghel visited Amritsar where he paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, Shri Durgiana Temple, and Bhagwan Valmiki Temple.