Belying the tall claims of the AICC’s top leadership that factionalism has been “buried” and “unity restored” within the Punjab Congress ahead of the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, the ground reality paints a starkly different picture: groupism continues to dominate the state unit. Hoardings and banners plastered across Punjab for programmes and rallies of PPCC president Pargat Singh prominently showcase the faces of selective leaders, conspicuously excluding the former Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Ironically, Warring, who is the sitting Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, finds no place in the Congress campaign led by AICC general secretary in‑charge Punjab Affairs Sachin Pilot and Pargat Singh.
A ground‑level survey conducted by The News Gateway revealed that across districts, Congress hoardings and banners consistently highlight only a chosen few leaders, sending an unmistakable signal that even after replacing Warring, the Punjab Congress remains “fractured” and “rudderless”. The selective projection of leadership not only exposes the deepening cracks but also underscores the party’s inability to present a “cohesive front”. Far from healing divisions, the reshuffle has left the organisation in tatters, with rival camps asserting their dominance through visuals and messaging rather than genuine unity.
In a recent meeting held in Jalandhar, the hoardings prominently displayed the photographs of Sachin Pilot alongside state leaders Pargat Singh, Charanjit Singh Channi, and Partap Bajwa—yet conspicuously absent were images of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Likewise, in Ludhiana, the hoardings were dotted with visuals that deliberately excluded Ludhiana MP, while prominently featuring photographs of leaders far junior to him in stature.
What is truly astonishing is the brazen manner in which leaders like Rana Gurjit have been accorded prominence, while several others have been sidelined. This selective projection of leaders sends a loud and clear message: Punjab Congress leaders are openly defying the authority of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Far from projecting unity, the deliberate omissions on these hoardings expose the deep fractures within the party, underscoring that factionalism is not only alive but thriving in defiance of the central leadership’s claims.
File Photo of Sachin Pilot addressing an election meeting in Jalandhar.Though Warring maintains that he does not require publicity or mileage through photographs on hoardings and banners, his words carry a tone of magnanimity. “It is the work of the leader that speaks for itself. What truly matters is that I remain in the hearts of the people of Punjab,” he asserted. Yet the fact is that within the Grand Old Party (GOP), it has been a decades‑long convention that the photographs of all senior leaders must find a place on hoardings and campaign materials, displayed strictly in order of seniority.
By showing scant regard for this tradition and openly defying the authority of the AICC, the Pargat camp has chosen to omit Warring’s photograph from their programmes altogether. This deliberate exclusion not only breaks with the party’s established norms but also signals a deeper defiance of the central leadership, underscoring the widening cracks within the Punjab Congress.