Channi’s supporters openly declared him their chief ministerial face at a rally in Baba Bakala on August 28, 2026, without waiting for the Congress high command to decide. The gathering, held in Punjab’s Amritsar district during the Rakhar Punnya fair, exposed a widening split within the Punjab Congress just months before the 2027 Assembly elections.
What Happened At The Baba Bakala Rally?
Channi addressed a gathering of senior Congress leaders including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh, Hardev Singh Laddi, Harminder Singh Gill and Madan Lal Jalalpur. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had been invited but stayed away.
The backdrop told its own story. A large photograph of Channi alongside Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge dominated the stage, while Warring’s picture appeared smaller among other leaders.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, addressing the gathering, pointedly referred to the missing leaders, noting simply that they had chosen not to turn up.
Channi’s supporters went further, saying they would declare him the chief ministerial face themselves, without waiting for a decision from Delhi.
Why Is Channi At Odds With The Punjab Congress Leadership?
The friction between Channi and Warring has been building for months. Channi and his supporters had opposed Warring’s continuation as Punjab Congress president earlier this year, but the central leadership retained him after discussions with senior state leaders. Channi was instead given charge of the Campaign Committee.
That arrangement did not settle matters. When the party sent senior leader Bhupesh Baghel to Punjab to work on the differences, the Channi camp reportedly did not initially engage. A later meeting took place, but Channi’s side maintained its refusal to accept Warring as state president.
The dispute also surfaced at a meeting with Congress general secretary K C Venugopal in Delhi, where Channi opposed Warring’s leadership and left the meeting, according to party sources. Channi’s absence from a subsequent Congress Working Committee meeting, cited as an examination clash, added to the unease among his colleagues.
How Has Channi’s Focus On Sikh Issues Added To The Unease?
Channi has increasingly spoken up on matters concerning the Sikh community, a shift that has made sections of the Congress uncomfortable. After the death of Sajjan Kumar, convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Channi said the strongest possible action should have followed. He also criticised party colleagues who had eulogised Kumar.
A senior Congress leader said Channi was moving into Panthic politics, a space the party has traditionally kept away from.
Channi defended his position, saying that as a Sikh himself, he feels the pain of the community’s unaddressed issues.
Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP and Waris Punjab De acting chief Amritpal Singh, praised Channi for repeatedly raising Sikh issues. Channi shared the video and thanked him publicly. This is not the first such endorsement. Tarsem Singh had earlier backed Channi after he described Amritpal Singh’s continued detention in the Lok Sabha, on July 25, 2024, as being akin to an undeclared Emergency.
What Has The Congress High Command Done To Heal The Rift?
The party leadership has made repeated efforts to project unity ahead of the ‘Samvidhan Bachao’ rallies held across Punjab through August. In Jalandhar, leaders from both factions appeared together at the August 28 event after weeks of uncertainty over whether it would go ahead as a joint show of strength.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is also expected to visit Amritsar towards the end of August. According to party sources, state unit leaders are planning a “unity bus yatra” to coincide with the visit, as the high command makes a final push to end the infighting before campaigning intensifies.
Despite these efforts, reports from the same week noted that the parallel shows of strength point to serious fault lines within the party, even if it may be premature to call it a crisis.
What Else Is Complicating Matters For Congress In Punjab?
Congress has simultaneously been targeting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government over a separate issue. More than three lakh Punjab government employees, along with nearly four lakh pensioners, went on a mass casual leave on August 27 over pending dearness allowance dues.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring warned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann against taking disciplinary action against the striking employees, saying the government could not intimidate or bully them with threats of punitive action.
According to employee unions, dues worth Rs 20,161 crore remain pending, with the Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier directing the state government to clear the arrears within 15 days.
What Does This Mean For Punjab Politics Ahead Of 2027?
The Baba Bakala fair also saw the Bharatiya Janata Party hold a parallel political event the same day. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told a BJP Mahasammelan that the party was ready to seek a mandate in Punjab under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke of the party’s push for a more developed Punjab.
For the Congress, the growing visibility of the Channi camp presents more than a personal disagreement between two leaders. Separate rallies, competing stages and an open claim over the chief ministerial face point to a leadership contest the party will need to resolve before the 2027 campaign gathers full momentum.