Hockey Legend Pargat Singh Named Punjab Congress Chief Months Ahead Of Polls

The Congress has gone with a Jat Sikh face to replace a Jat Sikh face as the head of its Punjab unit, maintaining some sort of continuity while also trying to deal with raging factionalism in the state. Hockey legend Pargat Singh, a multi-term MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment, was named the new Punjab Congress chief on Friday, replacing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring two days after he submitted his resignation.

This change came after the party last month replaced its central in-charge, appointing Sachin Pilot in place of Bhupesh Baghel, as the latter was seen as partisan in a battle largely between camps led by Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Pargat Singh was seen as largely neutral.

— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) October 2, 2026

Former central minister Vijay Inder Singla, a Hindu face from the Bania community who heads the party's election management committee, had emerged as a prominent contender for the state unit chiefship. Pargat Singh, who was with the Shiromani Akali Dal before joining the Congress 10 years ago, was eventually chosen, though former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana KP Singh and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria were the other Jat Sikh names being discussed.

The choice before the high command was whether to replace Warring, a Jat Sikh, with a Hindu face or retain a Jat Sikh at the top of the state unit. While Hindus, about 40 per cent of the population in the Sikh-majority state, are a key section in urban areas, Jat Sikhs, who are about 25 per cent, remain the most dominant caste group. Most of the chief ministers in post-reorganisation (1966) Punjab have been Jat Sikhs, including the current one, AAP's Bhagwant Mann.

Channi, who comes from a Dalit caste and is a Sikh, is seen as the most prominent face of the party. He is the head of the campaign committee, a position he got in July, though he remained dissatisfied as long as Warring remained president. He did not react as such to Warring's exit, but has been speaking of "Channi sarkar", his brief stint as CM before the 2022 loss, on his social media handles.

The infighting surged after July 1, as the high command announced that Warring would continue as state unit president. Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa also did not agree with it. Randhawa was seen backing Channi.

By September 5, the fissures were wide open, and the party deputed former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot as central in-charge, replacing former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, who had held the post since early 2025 and was seen as partisan towards Warring. On September 15, Pilot led a protest rally over the death of a Dalit man, where Channi and Warring shared the stage for the first time in nearly three months.

At the same event, Bajwa said the party would contest the elections without projecting a chief ministerial face. On September 30, Warring resigned. Two days later, Pargat Singh was named as the new chief.