Jalandhar | Updated: July 4, 2026
Former Punjab Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi’s show of strength at his Morinda residence received limited support from his own parliamentary constituency.
Congress leaders had gathered at Channi’s residence to express resentment over the recent Punjab Congress reshuffle. However, Jalandhar, which Channi represents in the Lok Sabha, was poorly represented at the meeting.
Of the five Congress MLAs from Jalandhar, only Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia attended the meeting and expressed solidarity with Channi.
The other four Congress MLAs from Jalandhar—Pargat Singh, Sukhwinder Kotli, Vikramjit Chaudhary, and Bawa Henry—stayed away from the gathering.
The absence of Kotli and Pargat Singh was significant, as both had supported Channi during his 2024 Lok Sabha campaign from Jalandhar. Pargat Singh had also reportedly been in the race for the Punjab Congress president’s post.
Vikramjit Chaudhary and Channi have had strained relations since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when Chaudhary had openly opposed Channi’s candidature from Jalandhar.
Reacting to the development, Vikramjit Chaudhary said Congress leaders were with the high command and supported whatever decision it had taken.
Some Congress leaders in Jalandhar believe that Channi, being a sitting MP, should be satisfied with his role as chairman of the party’s campaign committee. They pointed out that the party has already indicated that MPs may not be given tickets to contest the Assembly elections.
Party leaders also feel that the Congress high command may have considered several factors before finalizing the state leadership, including cases involving central investigating agencies and the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
Some MLAs are also reportedly unhappy over what they see as limited consultation by the MP in the allocation of funds from MPLADS grants.
Among those from Jalandhar who attended the Morinda meeting were Nakodar halqa in-charge Dr. Navjot Dahiya; Kartarpur leader Rajinder Singh; Jalandhar Central leaders Rajinder Beri and Karan Jallowal, son of former MLA Surinder Kaur from Jalandhar West.
Former MLA Surinder Chaudhary was also present at Channi’s show of strength.
The development has highlighted internal differences within the Punjab Congress at a time when the party is trying to reorganize itself ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
