Sachin Pilot meets Gandhi siblings to strategize Congress's Punjab election push

Sachin Pilot held talks with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to chart the Congress's path forward in Punjab, days after taking charge as the party's general secretary in-charge of the poll-bound state.

The meeting took place at 10, Janpath, the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Sources said the party's upcoming programmes in Punjab and strategy for the polls came up for discussion.

First challenge: bridging factional divides

Pilot's immediate challenge will be to address factionalism within the state unit ahead of crucial elections. At a time when other political parties have stepped up preparations for the Punjab elections, the Congress has largely been seen as firefighting the internal feud and bickering despite repeated assertions by the leadership that the efforts were underway to strengthen the organisational unity ahead of the polls.

Pilot, who turned 49, has to not only get the warring groups on the same page but also devise a poll strategy to counter the ruling AAP and the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal.

Banking on a comeback specialist

In a post on X after the meeting, Pilot said, "This morning, I met with the Leader of the Opposition @RahulGandhi ji and General Secretary @priyankagandhi ji, and expressed my gratitude for entrusting me with the responsibility of Punjab".

"I am fully confident that with collective effort, a strong organization, and the energy of our workers, the Congress will make a comeback to power in Punjab," he said. "For Punjab's brighter future, Congress's efforts to protect and honour the rights of every section of society, including farmers and youth, will be with complete dedication and commitment," he added.

Pilot's elevation is seen by many as a reposing of faith by the leadership in his poll strategising skills and in taking everyone along. The party's youth poster boy is fast-emerging as its go-to trump card to swing electoral fortunes in tough states.

He had managed to swing the 2019 assembly polls in favour of the Congress in Rajasthan as the State unit chief despite a raging internal feud with his bete noire Ashok Gehlot. Pilot had also been part of successful strategising in Himachal Pradesh in the previous assembly polls there and was also made a senior observer for the Kerala polls, where the Congress won a big mandate earlier this year after 10 years.

The party carried out a major organisational reshuffle and appointed Pilot as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel. Incidentally, Pilot till now was in-charge of Chhattisgarh, where Baghel is a key leader and a former chief minister. Baghel will now look after Assam, replacing Jitendra Singh.

Punjab goes to the polls early next year.

Source: The Hindu