Amarinder Singh Raja Warring quit the Punjab Congress presidency on Wednesday night, June 20, 2024, after holding the post for six months. He had been appointed in April 2022, following the party’s crushing loss to the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2022 Punjab elections. The resignation comes amid a re‑emerging split that has plagued the party for years.
Party insiders say the central leadership will pick a new chief within 48 hours. Candidates include former minister Vijay Inder Singla, Jalandhar Cantonment MLA and ex‑hockey captain Pargat Singh, and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. All three bring strong regional followings and experience in state politics.
Warring’s tenure was dominated by infighting between his faction and the wing led by Charanjit Singh Channi, who briefly served as chief minister after the party ousted Captain Amarinder Singh in 2022. The split has persisted since the August 2023 leadership vote, and the party’s central in‑charge Bhupesh Baghel has been accused of favouring Warring.
The resignation arrives just months before the 2025 Punjab state elections, when the Congress must present a united front to challenge the ruling AAP. A local farmer in Ludhiana, who has voted for the party for decades, said the shuffle may destabilise his community’s political support.
The Congress will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to announce its new president. Analysts expect the choice to be a compromise figure who can bridge the party’s internal rifts and rally voters ahead of the elections.