Sources in the party claimed that former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel’s standing in the state unit was damaged by allegations that he was “favouring” state Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring who is locked in a feud with former CM and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi. Channi wants to replace Warring as the Punjab Congress president in the run-up to next year’s Assembly elections and has rebuffed Baghel’s attempts to mediate a truce.
“The state unit will be pleased with this change as a neutral person, Sachin Pilot, has been given the responsibility now. He can start work from scratch and listen to all sides,” said a senior Congress MP from Punjab.
Baghel who has been appointed the AICC’s Assam in-charge expressed “gratitude to the top leadership for this new responsibility”. “Congratulations also to all newly appointed General Secretaries / State In-charges … Thanks to all Congress worker comrades and leaders of Punjab for their cooperation,” he said.
Channi was quick to thank the high command for the reshuffle, saying, “A warm welcome to Shri Sachin Pilot Ji on his appointment as General Secretary In-charge of Punjab Congress. Heartfelt thanks to the Congress Party High Command for this important decision.”
Even as he welcomed the change, Warring praised Baghel, calling him a “guide and mentor”. He said Baghel’s guidance has been instrumental in strengthening the party at the grassroots level. “Personally, I have learnt a lot from him and will always remain indebted to him,” he said. Warring said Pilot’s “energy and dynamism” would add to the “vigour of the party” ahead of the elections.
The Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, welcomed the appointment of Pilot, the former Rajasthan Deputy CM. “Heartiest welcome to Shri @SachinPilot, General Secretary in-charge of Punjab Congress. Looking forward to working together to strengthen the organisation and take the Congress forward in Punjab,” Bajwa wrote on X.
A leader close to Channi blamed Baghel’s “partisan role” for his “ouster”. “It has come as a big relief for us. He failed to read the pulse of the people as well as the Congress cadre. We repeatedly told him that a change was required, but he refused to listen to reason. We are now quite certain that Warring would be replaced in days to come and the Congress can finally get down to fight the coming Assembly polls,” he said.
Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the AICC leader in charge of Rajasthan, also congratulated Pilot, posting on X, “His experience, leadership and connect with the people will give new strength and momentum to the Congress organisation in Punjab. Best wishes for a successful tenure ahead.”
How Baghel may have lost control
The Channi and Warring camps have been locked in a power struggle for the past several months, with the former trying to oust the current state Congress president, unhappy with his style of functioning.
Baghel was deployed to end the infighting, holding meetings in Chandigarh and going on multi-district tours with Warring, publicly framing the dispute as a “difference of opinion” and warning that indiscipline would not be tolerated. He submitted a report to Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on July 15 based on consultations with around 92 leaders. He indicated that there was no immediate need to change the existing leadership arrangement, arguing that such decisions were not “gudda-guddi ka khel (game of puppets)”. The high command subsequently made no immediate alteration to the setup, leaving the Channi group miffed with the former Chhattisgarh CM.
This failed to put an end to the infighting. Leaders allied with Channi refused to meet the former Chhattisgarh CM and “Baghel go back” slogans were raised during his second visit to the state towards the end of July. Last month, posters and hoardings targeting Warring and Baghel came up in the city of Sri Muktsar Sahib ahead of a key meeting of party workers.
“Baghel couldn’t manage the narrative against him, that he was siding with Warring. And that could be the main reason for his replacement. The AICC in charge has to stay neutral and that is most important,” said a source in the Congress’s central leadership.
A section of the party, however, claimed that the change was part of a “routine reshuffle” and not an attempt to address any disquiet in the state unit. “Too much shouldn’t be read into it; these things happen before state elections. The factionalism in the state unit is also because of a precedent that whoever is the state chief becomes the CM after elections. Now, if we have two senior leaders who are eyeing the post, it is natural to have some competition among them and their supporters,” said a senior Congress leader in Delhi.
The other appointments
The Congress also announced a series of other appointments as part of the reshuffle. Randeep Singh Surjewala was appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Gujarat, where elections are due in late 2027. He will also continue to hold the post of Karnataka in-charge, the party said.
The Congress MP from Lohardaga in Jharkhand, Sukhdeo Bhagat, replaces Pilot as the AICC’s Chhattisgarh in-charge, while Dr Sirivella Prasad has been appointed the Maharashtra in-charge, replacing Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. Karnataka MLC P V Mohan will look after the party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, replacing Manickam Tagore who is now the Tamil Nadu Congress president.
Replacing Bhupesh Baghel (left), Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot has been made the new AICC General Secretary in charge of Punjab. (File Photo) 
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