The Congress has carried out a major organisational reshuffle ahead of key Assembly elections, appointing Sukhdeo Bhagat as the party's new general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh. The move comes with significant changes in Punjab, where Sachin Pilot has replaced Bhupesh Baghel as the AICC general secretary in charge, while Baghel has been shifted to Assam.
The changes were announced by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal on Saturday and took effect immediately. The reshuffle comes at a politically important time for the Congress, particularly in Punjab, where the party has been dealing with internal differences ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Sukhdeo Bhagat takes charge in Chhattisgarh
Bhagat's appointment brings a new central leadership face to the Congress organisation in Chhattisgarh. He replaces Sachin Pilot, who had been handling the state before being moved to Punjab.
Bhagat is a Congress Lok Sabha MP from Lohardaga, Jharkhand. His political career includes a stint as Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president and several terms in the state Assembly. He had also briefly joined the BJP before returning to the Congress.
His appointment comes as the Chhattisgarh Congress seeks to strengthen its organisation and improve coordination between its state leadership, senior leaders and grassroots workers.
The immediate focus for Bhagat is likely to include assessing the organisation at the district and booth levels and coordinating the party's political preparations in the state.
Pilot gets Punjab responsibility
Sachin Pilot has now been given charge of Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel.
The decision assumes significance because Punjab Congress has been facing internal differences over the party's organisational leadership. The dispute intensified after the Congress retained Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, while former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was given the role of campaign committee chairman.
According to recent reports, leaders associated with the Channi camp had questioned the continuation of the existing leadership arrangement and pressed the high command for changes. Rival slogans and disruptions at party programmes had also exposed the divisions within the state unit.
Bhupesh Baghel shifted to Assam
Baghel, who had been responsible for Punjab since February 2025, has now been appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Assam.
The official Congress announcement confirms the reassignment. The party's current list of general secretaries also shows Baghel as the in-charge of Assam.
The move comes after a period in which Baghel was tasked with bringing together competing factions in Punjab. Reports have linked his replacement to the continuing organisational dispute, although the Congress has not officially described the change as a response to pressure from any particular faction.
Punjab factionalism behind the reshuffle
The leadership change follows weeks of open disagreement within the Punjab Congress.
The dispute became increasingly visible during the party's organisational campaign in July and August, when rival groups reportedly raised slogans and protested against the existing leadership. The issue was also discussed during meetings between the Congress high command and Punjab leaders in Delhi.
India Today reported that leaders from the Channi camp had pressed for changes after Warring was retained as state Congress president. The leadership subsequently brought Pilot into the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
The Congress now faces the task of rebuilding coordination between the rival camps while preparing for the election.
Pilot faces immediate organisational challenge
Pilot's first major challenge will be to manage the competing political interests within the Punjab unit and establish greater coordination among senior leaders.
The Congress's 2022 Punjab Assembly election defeat remains an important backdrop to the current organisational exercise. With the next election approaching, the party will also have to address candidate selection, campaign coordination and grassroots mobilisation.
The reshuffle therefore represents more than a routine change of state in-charges. For the Congress, Punjab is a politically sensitive state where organisational unity could directly affect its electoral prospects.
What the change means for Chhattisgarh
For Chhattisgarh, the appointment of Bhagat marks a change in the party's central leadership at a time when the state unit is looking to strengthen its organisation.
Bhagat will have to work with the existing state leadership while assessing internal coordination and the party's ground-level preparedness. His experience in Jharkhand politics and within the Congress organisation could become important as the party seeks to consolidate its base.
The reshuffle also signals that the Congress high command is relying on changes in state-level leadership to prepare its organisation for upcoming electoral challenges.
Along with the Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Assam changes, the Congress appointed Randeep Singh Surjewala as Gujarat in-charge, while he will continue handling Karnataka. Dr Sirivella Prasad has been assigned Maharashtra and P V Mohan Andhra Pradesh.
The immediate test for the new appointments will be whether the reshuffle can translate into stronger organisational coordination and a more unified election strategy on the ground.
