Chandigarh: Congress is poised to undertake three surveys across all 117 Punjab assembly constituencies to assess ground sentiment, social equations and prospects of potential ticket aspirants ahead of the 2027 elections.Teams associated with Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) will conduct separate surveys, according to party sources. Each team is expected to cover all 117 constituencies and interact with voters, local workers and other stakeholders before preparing its assessment of prospective candidates.The exercise is aimed at generating constituency-wise feedback on potential candidates and identifying leaders with grassroots support. Sources said the three teams would independently prepare their reports and that the findings of one survey team would not be shared with the other. Each survey is expected to shortlist three aspirants in every constituency. The names will be later compared at the party’s candidate-selection stage. The leading aspirants will then be interviewed before the final candidates are decided.As senior party leaders, including AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab Sachin Pilot and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, have stressed the importance of giving greater preference to young leaders, the party is also expected to place considerable emphasis on younger candidates while finalising its candidates.Sources said Congress would seek to adhere to the principle outlined in the 2022 Udaipur Nav Sankalp Declaration, under which the party had resolved to reserve 50% of organisational positions for people below the age of 50. Sources said social and community representation would also be an important consideration while assessing potential candidates. Attention will also be given to ensuring adequate representation of Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes.The party is also expected to consider the demographic and social composition of individual constituencies while selecting candidates. To counter BJP’s influence in urban areas, due representation will be given to Hindu leaders.The Punjab unit of Congress, which has been grappling with factionalism, has been positioning itself as the principal challenger to the AAP govt.To put an end to the leadership race for the chief minister’s post, Pilot has already announced that the party will not project a chief ministerial candidate before the elections. He said Congress would contest the polls under a collective leadership model, with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi leading the campaign, while the choice of chief minister would be made only after the party secures a majority.
