Days after quitting as the Punjab Congress president, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday struck a defiant note, saying he may have lost or fallen and that AICC’s Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot may even deny him a ticket for next year’s Assembly elections, yet he would continue to hold the Congress flag high as a soldier of Rahul Gandhi. The Ludhiana MP also acknowledged that many in the party opposed him when he was the state chief, remarks seen as directed at his detractors in the state unit.

Full support for the new chief

Warring said he would fully support the new Punjab Congress chief, Pargat Singh, who on Sunday took charge at a ceremony held at the Congress Bhavan. Pilot attended the ceremony, making Warring’s message of loyalty to Gandhi, delivered on the same stage, all the more striking. The MP maintained that his commitment to the party’s flag and its leadership would not waver whatever the internal currents.

A resignation that exposed factionalism

Warring had led the Punjab Congress for nearly four-and-a-half years after succeeding Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2022, stepping down after a meeting with Gandhi in which he submitted his formal resignation. He had indicated that Pilot likely decided it was time to remove him from the helm, though he admitted having no concrete evidence for the claim. The episode laid bare the persistent factionalism in the state unit ahead of the 2027 Assembly election, even as the party tried to project unity at Sunday’s ceremony.

Addressing the gathering, Warring said he would work with full commitment for the party’s candidates in the coming elections, whatever role he was assigned. His remarks, delivered at what was billed as a unity show, were widely seen as a signal to both his supporters and his rivals that he intended to remain a prominent force in Punjab politics.