Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
In a significant organisational reshuffle, the Congress high command has appointed senior leader Sachin Pilot as the new in-charge of Punjab Congress, replacing former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The move comes ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming visit to the state and is being viewed as an effort to strengthen the party’s preparations for future electoral battles.
Baghel has now been assigned the responsibility of overseeing Congress affairs in Assam. His replacement follows growing discontent within the Punjab Congress, particularly from former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his supporters, who had openly questioned Baghel’s handling of the state unit.
Leaders aligned with Channi had accused Baghel of failing to provide the Congress leadership with an accurate assessment of Punjab’s political ground reality. The faction had also expressed dissatisfaction over the reappointment of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab Congress president and demanded changes in the state leadership structure.
A former Rajasthan Congress president and deputy chief minister, Sachin Pilot is regarded as one of the party’s prominent young leaders. He entered Parliament at the age of 26 after winning the Dausa Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and later served as Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs in the UPA government.
Pilot is credited with reviving the Congress in Rajasthan after its 2013 electoral defeat, leading the party to victory in the 2018 Assembly elections. He subsequently served as Deputy Chief Minister before political differences with then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot led to his exit from the post.
