Channi Launches 28-Seat Punjab Yatra as Rivals Mock Factional Feuds Ahead of 2027

CHANDIGARH — Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi rolled out his 28-constituency 'Jawani Sambhal Yatra' on Thursday, stepping directly into a political crossfire as opposition rivals weaponised glaring factional rifts within the state Congress leadership.

The friction peaked overnight.

Hours before Channi mounted his bicycle for the youth outreach drive, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ridiculed the initiative, declaring publicly that rival Congress leaders had already "removed the chain from his bicycle." Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sunil Jakhar joined the offensive, asserting that the state unit's main 'Punjab Mangda Insaaf Yatra'—steered by newly installed state Congress president Pargat Singh—had effectively "punctured the tyres" of Channi's solo march.

The ridicule followed a hollowed-out public launch on Wednesday. Party workers expected a show of force. Instead, the flagship 'Punjab Mangda Insaaf Yatra' kickoff in Jalandhar sputtered. The event convoy lacked mass mobilisation, reduced to a single campaign-branded SUV, a small bus, and a handful of half-empty cars.

Key power centers stayed away.

Neither Channi nor former state party chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring attended. Former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also skipped the launch. That left Pargat Singh and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa addressing a visibly thin crowd of loyalists.

Divided Fronts and the Route Across 28 Seats

Channi swiftly pushed back against talk of an internal revolt. He insisted his cycle campaign forms an integrated division of the broader 'Punjab Mangda Insaaf' push rather than a splinter project.

Under this tactical blueprint, the state leadership decided to split territories among factional heavyweights. Bajwa, Pargat Singh, and Warring will head independent parallel routes across different regional belts. All-India Congress Committee state in-charge Sachin Pilot will also join select segments to present an unbroken front.

"The entire party leadership stands engaged in this fight," Channi said, countering claims of isolation. "Not a single constituency will be left uncovered."

Bajwa and Pargat Singh echoed that stance during Wednesday's event, insisting decentralized marches allow the party to cover maximum territory before the winter legislative sessions. Yet the visual reality of separate convoys and bare rally grounds told a starker story.

Unresolved Feuds and High Command Interventions

The scramble to enforce public discipline exposes unresolved fissures that have paralyzed the state unit since the party lost power in 2022. Competing camps led by Channi and Warring have fought continuously over ticket distribution, district appointments, and the party's future chief ministerial projection.

The central high command intervened repeatedly to halt the damage. Party leadership initially dispatched former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to broker peace between the rival camps. When factional infighting persisted, the high command replaced Baghel with Sachin Pilot on September 5.

Pilot immediately attempted to douse internal fires, but organizational changes escalated. Less than a month later, on October 2, the high command removed Warring as state unit chief and installed Pargat Singh to reset the internal balance of power.

Pargat Singh's motorcade and Channi's cycle contingent now proceed along parallel routes across the Malwa and Majha belts. Pilot is scheduled to arrive in Punjab next week to review ground coordination and enforce joint appearances before the campaign enters its second operational phase.