Chandigarh MP and former Union minister Manish Tewari posted a cryptic message on X, 'Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be,' a day after the Congress unveiled its new poll panels, retaining Amrinder Raja Warring as state chief and Partap Bajwa as Leader of the Opposition, while appointing three working presidents. Tewari, the only Congress MP from the region excluded from the reshuffle, fueled speculation about his discontent with the revamped state unit.
Channi Signals Dissent Over Campaign Committee Role
Adding to the internal churn, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who was in the race for the state unit presidency, is reportedly upset over his appointment as chairperson of the campaign committee. Sources indicated that Channi refused to accept the position and called a meeting of senior state leaders on Thursday to decide his future course of action. He has been meeting a section of leaders since Tuesday evening.
Party insiders noted that while the campaign committee role gave Channi a prominent place in poll strategy, it was seen by some as an attempt to accommodate his ambitions without disturbing the existing top leadership.
Senior Leaders Stay Silent on Social Media
Further exposing factional undercurrents, several senior leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh Channi, Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjeet Singh, and Sukhpal Khaira, have not welcomed the new election panels on their social media handles. They also refrained from congratulating the high command even 24 hours after the announcement.
Sukhjinder Randhawa, perceived to have received a raw deal in the recast, merely reposted a tweet on the reshuffle by Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot. Only a few leaders—Warring, Vijay Inder Singla (appointed head of the election management and coordination committee), and MP Amar Singh (appointed head of the manifesto committee)—welcomed the changes.
Warring Incommunicado Amid Unease
As unease mounted, Warring remained incommunicado on Wednesday and was said to be spending time with his family in Shimla. Partap Bajwa, Channi, and Randhawa also did not respond to calls.
