Pilot in driver’s seat as Cong looks to avoid crash-landing in Punjab

New Delhi: Congress leader Sachin Pilot has seen several ups and downs in his over two-decades-long career but the party’s youth poster boy is fast-emerging as its go-to trump card to swing electoral fortunes in tough states.

That his stature in the Congress is becoming formidable can be gauged from the fact that he has been entrusted with putting the house in order in Punjab where the party is facing infighting right at the cusp of assembly polls with several factions battling it out for an upper hand.

The Congress on Saturday carried out a major organisational reshuffle and appointed Pilot as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel.

Incidentally, Pilot till now was in-charge of Chhattisgarh where Baghel is a key leader and a former chief minister. Baghel will now look after Assam, replacing Jitendra Singh.

Punjab goes to polls early next year and Pilot’s immediate challenge will be to address factionalism within the state unit ahead of crucial elections.

At a time when other political parties have stepped up preparations for the Punjab elections, the Congress has largely been seen firefighting the internal feud and bickering despite repeated assertions by the leadership that the efforts were underway to strengthen the organisational unity ahead of the polls.

The infighting was triggered after the Congress leadership on July 1 announced its decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the state unit chief and appoint former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the chairperson of its campaign committee.

A section of leaders led by Channi opposed the move to retain Warring as the Punjab Congress president and sought his removal from the position. The supporters of Channi have been seeking that he be announced as the chief ministerial face for the 2027 assembly polls.

Baghel’s recent visits to Punjab failed to bring an apparent truce between the two warring factions, with factionalism becoming increasingly visible at party programmes.

Baghel’s visits to Punjab coincided with the intensification of factionalism between the Channi and Warring camps.

During the party’s ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ campaign from July 31 till August 8, there was an open display of infighting, with Channi’s supporters raising slogans — ‘Channi lao, Punjab bachao’ (bring Channi, save Punjab) — in his favour and verbal clashes between loyalists of Channi and Warring at many meetings.

Baghel too faced opposition with “Go back Baghel” posters surfacing in Muktsar.

Despite factionalism over the state leadership, Baghel maintained that after the high command had taken a decision, it could not be changed.

Pilot, who turns 49 on Monday, has to not only get the warring groups on the same page but also devise a poll strategy to counter the ruling AAP and the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal.

Pilot’s elevation is seen by many as a reposing of faith by the leadership in his poll strategising skills and in taking everyone along.

Pilot, after all, had managed to swing the 2019 assembly polls in favour of the Congress in Rajasthan as the state unit chief despite a raging internal feud with his bete noire Ashok Gehlot.

The Congress is looking for a comeback in Punjab and therefore has pinned its hopes on a man who is no stranger to comebacks.

Pilot himself was out in the cold after he led a rebellion in 2020 against then Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot. He was removed as deputy chief minister and accused of hobnobbing with the BJP.

After a truce was brokered with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra playing a key role, Pilot ended the rebellion and returned as the party’s loyal soldier.

Pilot was still seen with suspicion and without key posts till in 2023 he was made Congress general secretary in-charge Chhattisgarh.

Though the party performed badly in the state in the 2024 general elections as it won just one out of 11 seats, he was seen as a hands-on in-charge who was on the ground and working to take everyone along.

He was also made senior observer for Kerala polls where the Congress won a big mandate after 10 years. Pilot’s campaign and role in the assembly polls was lauded by one and all.

Pilot’s elevation to the Punjab responsibility also has a Rajasthan messaging as he is being seen by many as the party’s best bet for the 2028 assembly polls.

There has been talk of making him the Rajasthan Congress chief for some time, replacing Govind Singh Dotasra.

He may have not have gotten that as of now but it may well be his prize if he wins the Punjab battle.

Also, Pilot is known as someone who takes everyone along and the initial responses to his appointment reflect the same.

Several Punjab Congress leaders have welcomed the appointment of Pilot as general secretary, in-charge of poll-bound Punjab, saying his energy will add to the party’s vigour ahead of the state assembly elections.

While Warring said Pilot’s energy and dynamism will for sure add to the vigour of the party, former Punjab chief minister Channi expressed “heartfelt thanks” to the Congress Party High Command for this “important decision”.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, while congratulating Pilot, said, “Looking forward to working together to strengthen the organisation and take the Congress forward in Punjab.”

Former deputy chief minister and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who has been the in-charge in Rajasthan, congratulated Pilot on his appointment and said his experience, leadership and connection with the people will give new strength and momentum to the Congress organisation in Punjab.

As Rahul Gandhi’s new team takes shape, it is safe to say that Pilot is back among his favourites.

However, though Pilot had won some of the recent rounds of his ongoing political bout with Gehlot, it seems one final round is still to go as the veteran Congress leader had signalled recently when he attacked Pilot for his 2020 rebellion.

Interestingly, Gehlot had said last month that more than 50 per cent of the party tickets for the upcoming local body polls in the state should be given to Gen-Z and young candidates, asserting that it is time to recognise the ongoing generational change in the country.

Before Pilot takes up the Rajasthan challenge, he must turn around the party’s fortunes in Punjab where he not only has to avert a crash-landing but ensure that the party soars high.