CHANDIGARH, June 26 — An internal report submitted by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) to the party high command has attributed the party’s defeat in the Ludhiana Lok Sabha bypoll to internal factionalism and mismanagement during the campaign phase, according to senior leaders familiar with the development.
Sources said the report was sent to KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary (Organisation), and mentioned how the early momentum in the campaign was squandered due to internal divisions. Despite PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s presence in Delhi on Thursday, he did not comment on the matter.
“In the initial phase, the Congress campaign had an edge,” a senior leader said. “But gradually it weakened, as the campaign strategy was hijacked by a few select leaders, sidelining the state’s top leadership.”
The report pointed out that prominent faces such as Warring and senior leader Partap Singh Bajwa were not even featured in key campaign posters — a move that many within the party saw as deliberate exclusion.
It also noted that several leaders were involved in campaign activities without clearance from the high command, which disrupted internal party equations and diluted the collective effort. Questions have since been raised about the role played by state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel.
Warring is said to be advocating a complete reconstitution of the state unit. Following the resignations of senior leaders Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Pargat Singh, and Kushaldeep Dhillon, a major overhaul of the PPCC is on the cards.
Confirming the development, Baghel posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the resignations of Ashu, Pargat, and Dhillon had been formally accepted.
