Amarinder Warring resigns as Punjab Congress chief, blaming Sachin Pilot for his exit

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has resigned. He stepped down on Friday after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, bringing to an end a turbulent four-and-a-half-year tenure defined by relentless internal fighting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Warring made little effort to hide his belief that the party's newly appointed state in-charge, Sachin Pilot, had engineered his exit. "I think that the new general secretary thought it best to remove me," Warring said. While admitting he had no concrete proof, he added that he felt Pilot had decided "it was time to remove 'Raja' from the post."

The Pilot report

Pilot took over as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Punjab on September 5, replacing Bhupesh Baghel. Warring noted that he had met Pilot only once for about 15 minutes, and that Pilot had visited Chandigarh only once since taking the role.

Yet, in that short time, Pilot conducted a swift organisational review. His report to the party high command, compiled after speaking with local MPs, MLAs, and office-bearers, ultimately sealed Warring’s fate. The feedback was overwhelmingly against Warring continuing in the role, with senior leaders reluctant to head into the 2027 assembly elections with him at the helm.

During his meeting with Gandhi, Warring said he briefed the leadership on his tenure and discussed the party's strengths and challenges in Punjab. Despite his apparent frustration with Pilot, Warring maintained he remains a disciplined soldier of the party.

Following the meeting, he and his wife visited the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi to pray. "A tenure can be long or short, but it should be one that people remember," Warring said. "I am satisfied that, after a four-and-a-half-year tenure as state president, whatever happens, happens for good."

Deepening factionalism

Warring took the helm of the state unit in April 2022, succeeding Navjot Singh Sidhu after the party's defeat in the assembly elections. However, his tenure was quickly consumed by a bitter feud with a rival faction led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

The civil war within the state unit intensified in July when the party high command attempted a fragile compromise, retaining Warring as president while naming Channi as the campaign committee chief. Instead of bringing peace, the decision deepened the rift. Channi’s supporters openly boycotted Warring’s events and lobbied the high command for his removal, complaining about his leadership style.

What happens next

While the Congress high command has not yet formally announced a successor, former state minister and Congress Working Committee member Vijay Inder Singla has emerged as the frontrunner. Singla, a prominent Hindu face, is seen as someone who could balance the party's regional and community claims.

The party is also considering other senior figures, including Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh, former Assembly speaker Rana KP Singh, and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, as it searches for a leader capable of bringing the rival camps together before the state goes to the polls.