Congress not to depend on any face for 2027 polls: Bhupesh Baghel

Bathinda: The Congress will contest the 2027 assembly elections in Punjab under a collective leadership of the party, without focusing on any face, said Bhupesh Baghel, the Congress in-charge of Punjab, on Sunday."The entire state leadership will be at the forefront, whether it is the state president, leader of opposition, MPs and others. Punjab elections were only once fought in the name of Capt Amarinder Singh, principally, the party contests in the name of everyone," he said while speaking to mediapersons. On media queries, Baghel replied Congress has Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge as its national faces. He dismissed speculation about a particular candidate for the top post. The issue gained ground after party functionary Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife, Navjot Kaur, claimed that anyone wanting the post of chief minister has to spend Rs 500 crore. Baghel, accompanied by PCC president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, LoP Partap Singh Bajwa, Ravindra Dalvi and district party president Rajan Garg, slammed the central govt's VB G RAM G Act. "By replacing MGNREGA, the central govt has snatched its soul. MGNREGA was a demand-based programme aimed to provide solace to the poor and disadvantaged, but the BJP-led central govt is snatching the rights of labourers to provide benefits to only a chosen few," he said, adding that the condition of a 40% share to be put in by the state govts is like putting the scheme on the back burner. He also accused the Punjab govt of failing to utilise MGNREGA, saying an average of 28-day work was provided in the state. The Congress leaders said they are crisscrossing the length and breadth of the state to listen to workers and offer support Baghel also raised questions over the law and order in the state, saying nine murders have been committed in 2026 till now. "No new school or medical college has been opened in the last four years but only claims made in advertisements by spending crores of taxpayers' money. Punjab is under debt of over Rs 4 lakh crore, and more loans are being raised. This govt needs to tell where the money is going, whether it is going to Delhi," Baghel said. Later, they addressed a rally at Bhucho. Earlier, Baghel, accompanied by Warring and Barnala Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhillon, reached the home of an MGNREGA worker at Khuddi village in Barnala and had dinner on Saturday late evening. They listened to the woes of the MGNREGA workers. MSID:: 126463806 413 |