New Delhi:
It is said that one who rides a lion risks becoming the lion’s prey. That was apparently the case with Bhupesh Baghel. When the Congress high command appointed him as the in-charge for Punjab in early 2025, sources say he asked the party leadership if there was any plan to change the state leadership.
Raja Warring, who had replaced Navjot Singh Sidhu as the state Congress president immediately after the crushing defeat in the previous Punjab assembly election, was nearing the completion of his three-year tenure.
Both Raja Warring and the Leader of the Legislature Party, Pratap Singh Bajwa, belong to the same caste. But Baghel was instructed to maintain the status quo, so he began working on the organisation alongside Raja Warring.
When Baghel, the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, was sent to Punjab, the Congress high command had offered to appoint former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the General Secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh. Channi, the MP from Jalandhar, conveyed to the party at the time that he wished to work within Punjab itself.
The ‘Remove Raja’ Campaign
Infighting within the Punjab Congress erupted at the beginning of this year. Several Punjab Congress leaders wrote to the party high command, demanding that Channi, who hails from the Dalit community, be appointed state president.
Observing the escalating standoff, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held multiple rounds of discussions with senior Punjab leaders and instructed everyone to refrain from making public statements.
As the dispute intensified, the Congress leadership formed a committee headed by Ajay Maken and asked for a report. Sources said on the basis of the extensive feedback and surveys, Maken’s report also advocated handing the reins to Channi.
Yet, after a long wait, the Congress announced on July 1 that Raja Warring will continue as the state president, while Channi was appointed as the head of the campaign committee.
This upset not only Channi but also several other leaders, including MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Legislature Party Leader Partap Singh Bajwa, and MLAs Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjit, and former MP Vijay Inder Singla.
They privately conveyed to the party that they did not accept Raja’s leadership and would not even share stage with him.
Subsequently, Bhupesh Baghel visited Chandigarh to try and placate the disgruntled leaders but failed.
At this time, asked about a leadership change, Baghel remarked, “This is not child’s play.”
‘Baghel Go Back’ slogans
Some time later, when Baghel returned to Punjab to hold meetings with booth-level workers, he faced protests in various places as he came to be perceived as Raja’s protector. Posters reading “Baghel Go Back” were spotted at some locations.
Why did Baghel support Raja?
Sources close to Baghel maintain that he was neither explicitly supporting nor opposing anyone. Initially, the party high command was not in the mood for a change, and later, Baghel argued that the state president should not be replaced right before the elections.
The reasoning was that the existing organisational structure at the district level had been built by Raja Warring, and most district presidents also stood with him.
Having earned Rahul Gandhi’s trust during his tenure as the National President of the Youth Congress, Raja Warring had retained his seat despite the Aam Aadmi Party wave in the previous assembly elections and subsequently won the Ludhiana seat in the Lok Sabha elections.
For these reasons, he held a strong position in the eyes of the Delhi leadership. Yet, despite this, a decision to replace him was contemplated due to opposition from senior leaders regarding his style of functioning and rhetoric.
Singla’s name finalised, then the plot took a turn
According to top Congress sources, the party leadership had decided in June to appoint Vijay Inder Singla as the state president.
Singla is one of the party’s prominent Hindu faces and is considered close to the Delhi leadership. It is reported that all leaders had initially agreed to this, but at the last moment, Channi began advocating for the leadership role to be handed to him.
Consequently, the Congress leadership realised that the anti-Raja faction was not united and lacked a consensus.
Why Channi didn’t get leadership role
There are questions that despite leading in the survey reports, why the Congress leadership did not appoint Channi as the Punjab state president? Sources said the very “Dalit card” that works in Channi’s favor also acts against him. Just before the last Punjab assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi had appointed Channi as Chief Minister, replacing Captain Amarinder Singh.
Despite him being Punjab’s first Dalit Chief Minister and the state having the country’s largest Dalit population, Dalit voters did not unite in the election. Instead, Jat Sikhs mobilised against him.
Channi lost the election from both seats he contested and stayed away from political activities for nearly a year, spending much of that time abroad.
He made a comeback by securing a major victory in Jalandhar during the Lok Sabha elections, but the party high command was displeased when he turned down an offer regarding Himachal.
The lack of significant action in the ED cases pending against Channi also created doubts within the party high command regarding his loyalty. To top it all, the manner in which Channi attempted to lobby for the state president’s post worked against him.
Nevertheless, as a prominent Dalit face, he was [considered for] the command of the campaign committee.
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