Navjot Kaur Sidhu Walks Out of Congress, Deepening Leadership Crisis in Punjab Unit

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Former Punjab legislator and senior Congress leader Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu has announced her decision to leave the Congress, adding to the political uncertainty within the party’s state unit. The development comes amid persistent infighting in the Punjab Congress and days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the state.
Dr Sidhu said she had severed ties with the Congress after losing faith in its internal functioning. She alleged that the party no longer gives space to committed and capable leaders and that key decisions are being driven by personal considerations rather than organisational interests. According to her, such practices have weakened the party at the grassroots level.
She also targeted Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, holding the state leadership responsible for what she described as the party’s decline in Punjab. Dr Sidhu had been suspended from the Congress on December 8, 2025, following repeated public remarks against senior leaders. Since then, she had continued to openly question the functioning of the party, leading to visible discomfort within the organisation.
In recent months, several of her statements had triggered controversy. She had alleged that money played a decisive role in leadership positions and ticket distribution within the party. She also claimed that the presence of multiple chief ministerial aspirants in the Punjab Congress had created confusion and was damaging the party’s electoral prospects.
Earlier, Dr Sidhu had stated that she was preparing to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from Amritsar East. While acknowledging that the final decision on candidature lies with the party high command, she had said she had begun groundwork on her own. In the 2022 Assembly elections, she had contested from the same constituency and was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur.
Political analysts view her exit as another blow to the Punjab Congress, which continues to face internal divisions and leadership challenges. The development is expected to further intensify debate over the party’s direction in the state as it looks to rebuild ahead of the next Assembly elections.