Chandigarh: The All India Congress Committee-appointed observers on Saturday submitted their report containing feedback from Punjab Congress leaders on any probable leadership change and party strategy ahead of 2017 Punjab elections to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in New Delhi.While no decision was taken in the meeting, the report was understood to be discussed at length in the presence of senior Congress functionary and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal and AICC in-charge for Punjab affairs Bhupesh Baghel.According to two senior Congress functionaries, Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to go on a visit abroad on Sunday evening and a decision on any probable change of guard in Punjab “would likely be taken before he goes.”One of the two functionaries said another meeting of the top brass of the Congress “may be” held on Sunday before taking a final decision.Among the three observers — AICC treasurer and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Ajay Maken, Karauli–Dholpur MP Bhajan Lal Jatav and AICC in-charge for Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan — appointed by the AICC to gather feedback from Punjab Congress leaders, Natarajan was not present in the meeting.On June 11, Kharge appointed the three observers to “assess and submit a report on the current political scenario in Punjab, with immediate effect.”The observers held one-on-one meetings with sitting and former MPs, MLAs, district presidents and other party office-bearers in Delhi on the need of any likely organizational overhaul, including leadership change, party unity, party strategy and issues to be raised ahead of 2027 Punjab elections.The Congress high command, a party functionary said, will weigh several aspects including regional balance and caste arithmetic if any change of guard in the state was to be effected.A Punjab Congress functionary said the exercise had been “obviously carried out to effect a change in leadership.”Another functionary, on the other hand, said, “With elections round the corner, it will be unwise to effect a change in leadership, especially when the current state president has been at the helm for long.”Incumbent Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was appointed as Punjab Congress chief in April 2022, shortly after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stormed to power in Punjab. He has continued on the post ever since.According to multiple functionaries in Punjab Congress, if a change in state leadership was effected, the religion and caste arithmetic would come into play, along with regional calculations.Among the Hindu faces, the top contenders include former Punjab assembly speaker Rana K P Singh and former Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla, according to party functionaries.As per them, if the high command decides to have state party chief from scheduled caste community, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi may emerge as the frontrunner in party choice.And if the party decides to continue with Jatt Sikh face as party president the contenders, apart from incumbent Warring, include leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Congress MP from Gurdaspur Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, say a section of the party functionaries, adding that if Bajwa was chosen, the high command will have to effect another change and appoint another legislator as leader of the opposition. As per them, if Randhawa was chosen to head the party even then leader of the opposition may be changed to maintain regional balance as both Randhawa and Bajwa come from Majha region of Punjab.
