Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday hinted at the party not contesting the 2027 assembly elections with a chief ministerial face, and instead planning to fall back on its national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Interacting with media, Warring said the Congress would fight under the leadership of Kharge and Rahul, and there was no doubt about it. Asked about his own role, he said he always was a worker of the party and would continue to serve it as one.
Warring's statement comes amid claims by the opposition that there were too many contenders for the CM face in the Congress. In the 2017 assembly elections, which it had won, the Congress had projected Capt Amarinder Singh, who has since moved to the BJP, as its CM face. In 2022, the party's choice was Charanjit Singh Channi.
Asserting that the Congress was in a commanding position, Warring said the Congress would form the next government in Punjab. "Every Congress worker in the state wants it and is committed to achieving it," he added.
Replying to another question on AAP leaders describing the Akalis and the BJP as the "chitta party" and the "ED party", respectively, Warring said the BJP was undoubtedly misusing central agencies against opposition leaders across the country. "However, AAP is no different. It misuses the vigilance bureau against its political opponents in Punjab. If BJP is the 'ED party', AAP is the 'vigilance party'," he said.
