A Congress review meeting held in Delhi on Friday to evaluate the party’s results in the recent Punjab civic body elections featured sharp exchanges among senior leaders. This exposed internal divisions in the state unit as preparations begin for the 2027 Assembly elections.
The high-level strategy session took place at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. It was attended by Rahul Gandhi, general secretary KC Venugopal and key Punjab leaders.
Sources indicated that talks on the civic poll performance quickly became heated, with leaders questioning both the electoral results and organisational duties.
The sharpest exchange focused on the party’s weak showing in Gidderbaha, viewed as a stronghold of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi reportedly asked how the party could perform poorly in the state president’s own area while claiming to be a strong contender for the 2027 Assembly polls.
Sources said Channi stressed that serious introspection was required after failing to win in such an important constituency.
Warring defended the results, arguing that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party benefited from access to government resources during the civic polls.
Another senior leader challenged this view, noting that Congress secured notable wins in Kapurthala and Chamkaur Sahib under the same conditions.
Questions also arose about Channi’s limited role in the municipal election campaign. The former chief minister cited personal commitments abroad as the reason for his absence during a key phase.
Adding to signs of division, Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa left the meeting early. However, Congress Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel later dismissed reports of disagreement, saying Bajwa had informed leaders in advance and his departure carried no special meaning.
The discussion reflected the mixed results from Punjab voters. Out of 1,963 declared results from 1,977 wards, the AAP won 954 wards, Congress 390, Independents 251, the SAD 191, the BJP 170 and the BSP seven.
Congress achieved a strong win in Kapurthala Municipal Corporation, taking 31 of 50 wards. It struggled elsewhere, however. In Gidderbaha the AAP won 17 of 19 wards, leaving Congress with two seats. Congress performed better in Chamkaur Sahib, winning seven wards.
Statewide, Congress captured the sole municipal corporation in Kapurthala, 18 municipal councils and five nagar panchayats, plus victories in 397 wards. It still trailed the AAP, which won 56 of 104 local bodies and nearly 1,000 wards.
After the meeting Baghel ruled out immediate leadership changes in Punjab. He acknowledged that local body elections often favour the ruling party and said Congress would soon release a detailed plan for Punjab, strengthen its organisation and increase public outreach.
The leadership agreed to build a united campaign on issues such as corruption, law and order and governance under the AAP government ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
