Congress reshuffles state in-charges ahead

The Congress party announced a major reshuffle of its national office-bearers on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge made the changes, which were announced by general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

Sachin Pilot is now the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary for Punjab, a state scheduled for Assembly elections in early 2027. Randeep Singh Surjewala will handle Gujarat, which votes later in 2027, in addition to his existing charge of Karnataka. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been moved from Punjab to become the new AICC general secretary for Assam.

Factionalism in Punjab

The change in Punjab is the most significant. It comes amid intense factionalism between the camps of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. According to The Hindu, if not a snub to Bhupesh Baghel, the move can be seen as an attempt by the party high command to press the reset button and contain the infighting.

A previous party rejig in July had triggered open factionalism. The high command's decision then was to make Channi the chairman of the campaign committee while continuing with Warring as the PCC chief. This factionalism has created bad optics for the party. It has also held up a proposed political yatra in the state by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Rewarding Performance

By appointing Sachin Pilot, the Congress high command has tried to convey its intent. Pilot recently served as a senior poll observer in Kerala, where the Congress-led United Democratic Front scored an impressive victory.

Randeep Surjewala, too, seems to have been rewarded for his work. He ensured a smooth transition of leadership in Karnataka, from Siddaramaiah to D.K. Shivakumar as the Chief Minister. Surjewala has been made general secretary in-charge of both Gujarat and Karnataka. Mukul Wasnik, who was handling Gujarat, will continue as an AICC general secretary.

Other Appointments

The party made several other appointments to its national team. The new AICC in-charges are as follows:

The Congress leadership thanked the outgoing general secretaries and in-charges. Jitendra Singh had resigned following the party's debacle in Assembly elections earlier this year. Ramesh Chennithala, who was handling Maharashtra, became Kerala's Home Minister. Similarly, AICC in-charge for Maharashtra Manickam Tagore was made the new PCC president of Tamil Nadu.