Despite rain disrupting the ceremony somewhat, party workers continued raising slogans while the leadership used the occasion to signal a collective fight against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Putting up a united front ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the Congress on Sunday brought its senior state leaders together at the party headquarters as Pargat Singh formally took charge as the new Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president.
From former PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, several prominent leaders attended the ceremony. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari was also present, with Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot leading the proceedings. The gathering was politically significant for a party that has struggled with factional differences and competing leadership ambitions in Punjab. One of the key political moments of the ceremony came when Warring attended the event despite differences with a section of party leaders. “I will continue to work for the betterment of the Congress. He also urged Rahul Gandhi not to forget the party leaders and workers who had worked for the Congress over the past four-and-a-half years. Warring arrived at Congress Bhawan with his supporters before joining other leaders near the stage.
Earlier, he had gathered supporters at his residence in Sector 10, Chandigarh, in a show of strength before heading to the party headquarters.
Setting the tone for the Congress’s electoral campaign, Pilot said the party would work collectively under the leadership of national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi to win the next Assembly elections. My only leader is Rahul Gandhi,” Warring said.
