Amritsar (Gurpreet Singh): The Punjab Congress has begun preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections with newly appointed state president Pargat Singh calling for a united organisation and party affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot stressing the need to address issues such as drugs and corruption.
Pargat Singh and Pilot began their visit to Amritsar on Thursday by paying obeisance at the Golden Temple. The two leaders sought blessings at the Sikh shrine following Pargat Singh’s appointment as head of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.
Congress workers gathered in large numbers at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport to welcome the leaders. The arrival was marked by drumbeats, party slogans and a show of support for the new state leadership.
Speaking after the visit to the Golden Temple, Pargat Singh said the programme was intended as a thanksgiving visit rather than a political event. He said the delegation was seeking blessings for the welfare of Punjab and its people.
The leaders were also scheduled to visit several other religious sites in Amritsar, including the Durgiana Temple, St Paul’s Church, Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath and Dera Ballan.
Pargat Singh said the Congress would continue to stand for constitutional values and a political approach rooted in Punjab’s social fabric. He rejected the idea of politics based on hostility and said the party wanted to focus on bringing people together.
Emphasising the importance of teamwork, the new state chief said Congress had experienced and capable leaders across Punjab and that every leader and worker had a role to play. He described himself as a team player and said the responsibility of rebuilding the organisation could not rest with one individual.
“Punjab is our target, and the Congress is the vehicle to achieve that goal,” Pargat Singh said.
Pilot, meanwhile, identified drug abuse and corruption as two of the key concerns confronting Punjab. He said tackling these problems would require coordinated efforts and a broader focus on development and opportunities for the state’s younger population.
The Congress leader expressed confidence that the party’s leaders and workers across districts and constituencies would come together under the new state leadership. He also highlighted Punjab’s wider contribution to India, saying the state’s progress was important beyond the political interests of any single party.
With the next Punjab Assembly election due in 2027, Pilot said the Congress would work towards securing a majority and returning to power in the state.
The visit, however, also highlighted divisions within the party, as several prominent Punjab Congress leaders were not present in Amritsar. Former state Congress chief and MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi were in Delhi, where they were taking part in a protest led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The new leadership will now face the task of strengthening coordination among the party’s senior leaders while building a broader campaign ahead of the 2027 electoral contest. :::
