Pargat Singh Named Punjab Congress Chief, Replaces Raja Warring Ahead Of 2027 Assembly Polls

The Indian National Congress on Friday appointed former Olympian and Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), replacing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. The leadership change comes months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

Warring, who had led the Punjab Congress since April 2022, met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and submitted his resignation earlier on Friday. The change follows months of internal differences within the state unit.

Congress’s Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot had held consultations with senior state leaders as part of the party’s organisational assessment before the leadership change.

Three-Time Jalandhar Cantonment MLA

Pargat Singh, 61, is a three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment. He first won the constituency in 2012 and retained it in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.

His appointment puts an experienced legislator at the helm of the Punjab Congress as the party prepares for the 2027 polls and seeks to manage differences among its state leaders.

Pargat Singh’s International Hockey Career

Before entering politics, Pargat Singh had a long international hockey career and captained the Indian men’s hockey team at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also represented India at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and several World Cups.

Born in Mithapur, Jalandhar, Singh played for Punjab Police and was associated with Indian Railways. He later served as Punjab’s director of sports and was involved in efforts to expand sports infrastructure, including hockey turfs in villages.

He was appointed India’s national hockey coach in 1998. Singh received the Arjuna Award in 1989 and the Padma Shri in 1998.

From Hockey To Politics

Pargat Singh entered electoral politics with the Shiromani Akali Dal and won the Jalandhar Cantonment seat in 2012. He later joined the Congress and retained the constituency in 2017 and 2022.

He served as a cabinet minister in the Charanjit Singh Channi government from September 2021 to March 2022.

Within the Congress organisation, Singh was appointed general secretary (organisation) of the Punjab unit by then PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2021.

Task Ahead Of 2027 Polls

Pargat Singh will now lead the Punjab Congress into the 2027 Assembly election. His immediate organisational responsibilities include coordinating leaders across different factions and preparing the state unit for the upcoming electoral contest.

His appointment comes after Warring’s resignation and amid the Congress leadership’s efforts to reorganise the Punjab unit ahead of the polls.