Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Faction Wars and Internal Rifts Shape Punjab's 2027 Elections
Big political parties in Punjab are getting ready for elections in 2027.
But instead of only fighting each other, many of them are fighting inside their own groups.
The Congress party has two leaders, Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who do not get along.
They have been boycotting each other's events and putting up posters against each other.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power now, is worried because many voters are unhappy with it.
Its support in cities has dropped from 42 per cent in 2022 to around 36 per cent.
Also, a very important person from the AAP, Sandeep Pathak, left the party and joined the BJP.
The BJP is growing in cities, but some of its leaders quit after big changes in the party.
The Shiromani Akali Dal has lost a lot of voters and is now looking for new friends.
So before the big election, all the parties are trying hard to fix their own problems first.
Congress is split by a turf war between Punjab unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Ruling AAP faces anti-incumbency, with its urban vote share falling from 42 per cent in 2022 to around 36 per cent in recent municipal polls.
Sandeep Pathak, seen as the architect of AAP's Punjab organisation, has left the party and joined the BJP.
BJP's state unit restructuring triggered resignations, including Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal and Maninder Kapyal, sparking open rebellion.
Shiromani Akali Dal's vote share fell to an all-time low of 18.38 per cent in 2022, prompting speculation of alliances with breakaway factions.
- Who
- Punjab's four main parties — Congress, AAP, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal — and leaders including Charanjit Singh Channi, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Bhagwant Mann.
- What
- Internal factional wars, resignations and restructuring are shaping the run-up to the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
- When
- Ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
- Where
- Punjab.
- Why
- Parties face turf wars, anti-incumbency, ticket disputes and leadership rifts that risk damaging their own campaigns before the real contest begins.
Party Discipline and Reform
Factional Claims and Dissent
Cause of the Congress turf war
Party Discipline and Reform
Channi's faction frames Warring's organisational control as an attempt to sideline Punjab's Dalit leadership.
Factional Claims and Dissent
Warring's loyalists view Channi's insistence as mere greed for the chief ministerial post.
AAP's parallel in-charge strategy
Party Discipline and Reform
Independent performance audits and parallel constituency in-charges will tighten discipline and address the party's slide in support.
Factional Claims and Dissent
Denying tickets to sitting MLAs and creating competition will fuel dissidence and push leaders to cross over to rival parties.
BJP's state unit restructuring
Party Discipline and Reform
Restructuring and new appointments support the party's growing urban expansion and integration of new turncoats.
Factional Claims and Dissent
The sudden removal of district chiefs and new appointments triggered resignations and open rebellion, exposing a rural disconnect.
- Target election
- 2027 Punjab assembly elections
- Congress internal dispute
- Amrinder Singh Raja Warring vs Charanjit Singh Channi
- AAP urban vote share
- Fell from 42% (2022) to about 36% in recent municipal polls
- SAD vote share
- 18.38% in 2022, an all-time low (34.73% in 2012)
- SAD municipal vote share
- 8.98%; combined with BJP urban share would top 26.5%
- Key defection
- Sandeep Pathak (AAP) joined the BJP
- BJP resignations
- Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, Chetan Mohan Joshi, Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju, Maninder Kapyal
- Assembly constituencies
- 117 in Punjab