Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot, who was recently appointed in-charge of Punjab, maintains that all senior party leaders in the state have assured him that they will work unitedly ahead of the crucial assembly polls. In an interview to HT , the senior Congress leader also spoke about his new role as well as the party’s prospects in the upcoming Punjab polls. Edited excerpts:
The Congress in Punjab faces sharp divisions between Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Punjab is very important not just for the Congress but for the country. This state is very dear to all of us including the Congress leadership. I have already met most of the top leaders in Punjab. They have assured that they will work unitedly. It will be my duty and responsibility to ensure that every leader and worker feels that he or she is a stakeholder in the collective future of the Punjab Congress.
And even when they were together, they have lost many elections. Channi himself lost both his seats. It was a wave election where a lot of people perhaps won who weren’t deserving.
Today it is marred by controversies, arrests and corruption scandals. All of them have assured me they will work collectively to deliver results under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. People of Punjab want the Congress to be there. All of us want the Congress to win. I had a cordial meeting with Channi and he has assured me that he will offer his full support to the party’s efforts for the election. Please remember, the Congress had made him the only Dalit chief minister of Punjab. He remembers what Rahul Gandhi had done for him. In our meeting, he was very candid and assured that he will work shoulder to shoulder with the top leadership of the Punjab Congress. It will certainly be a multi-cornered election but the main contest will be between the Congress and the AAP. Of course, there is BSP, BJP, the two factions of the Akali Dal and some other smaller parties. But people of Punjab are looking for a stable alternative. It’s a border state and people know that religious divides or geographical disparities must not come in the way of giving a solid mandate. We also feel what the BJP has done in Delhi it was an open display of being anti-young people and anti-students. So, there’s a narrative now and I think Rahul Gandhi is at the forefront of that. Also, BJP doesn’t have a very strong footing in Punjab. They have been a junior ally of the Akali Dal. And there is a demand for a stronger Jatt Sikh leader. When any party is in government, going into polls, person heading the government becomes a face. But as the opposition, it can’t just be one or two people. It has to be a full team. Look, Channi was given a chance towards the fag end of the term and he tried his best. I don’t want to use the last election as a benchmark. This election will see a fair decision. AAP was untested and people gave them an opportunity. But in the last four and a half years, the AAP government has only served the interest of the party leadership. The Congress had a very good performance in the Lok Sabha elections, which indicates that the people want change. He faces the challenge of factionalism in the State unit, particularly between former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring . It is, perhaps, a different way of approaching the same situation. Every single Congressman understands that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) needs to be voted out and that Congress is ultimately the only viable option. The State machinery is also pretty bankrupt. So Congress will have a responsibility to deliver.
In the last election, the Congress won just two of the 69 seats in Malwa region. Earlier reporting noted: Punjab leaders have assured me of working collectively under Rahul ji and Kharge ji’s leadership, says Sachin Pilot Newly appointed Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab , Sachin Pilot, on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as he took up his new assignment.
As I said, I have spoken to almost all the key leaders.
Earlier reporting noted: I don’t think they are warring (smiles). Earlier reporting noted: There are huge challenges facing Punjab — the drug menace, the agrarian crisis.
