CHANDIGARH, OCT 2: The Congress appointed former Indian hockey captain and Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), replacing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring with immediate effect.
The appointment was announced through an official AICC order issued by General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The Congress also appreciated Warring’s contribution as outgoing state unit president and decided that the existing working presidents and chairpersons and co-chairpersons of various election-related committees in Punjab would continue in their respective positions.
The leadership change followed Warring’s resignation from the PPCC president’s post on Friday after he met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. Warring said he discussed the political situation in Punjab, challenges faced by the party and his experience during his tenure as state Congress chief. He also said he would continue to work for the party.
Pargat Singh brings a distinctive sporting and political background to the state party leadership. A former Indian hockey captain and Olympian, he represented India at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and captained the national side at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1989 and Padma Shri in 1998.
His political career began with the Shiromani Akali Dal, under whose banner he won the Jalandhar Cantonment Assembly seat in 2012. After leaving the SAD in 2016, he subsequently joined the Congress and retained Jalandhar Cantonment in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections. He also served as a minister in the Charanjit Singh Channi government from September 2021 to March 2022, holding portfolios including school education, higher education, sports and youth affairs.
Within the Congress organisation, Singh has also held responsibilities at the state and national levels. He was appointed general secretary (organisation) of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee in 2021 and is currently serving as an AICC secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, according to reports.
The change in leadership comes ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, putting the new PPCC chief at the centre of the Congress’s organisational preparations for the next electoral cycle. His immediate responsibilities will include coordinating the state organisation, working with party leaders and legislators and overseeing preparations for the upcoming election.
The transition also follows a period of reported differences within the Punjab Congress. Warring had headed the state unit since 2022, and his resignation came after consultations involving the party’s central leadership. Reports have attributed differing views about the leadership change to various Congress leaders; these accounts are contested and should be distinguished from the formal AICC announcement, which simply records the appointment and Warring’s outgoing tenure.
Following the announcement, Warring publicly congratulated Pargat Singh and wished him well in his new responsibility.
The appointment marks a significant organisational transition for the Punjab Congress, with Pargat Singh now taking charge of the state unit as the party prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections.
