Key Congress leaders missing from campaign and posters in Ludhiana West bypoll.
Ludhiana: As the Ludhiana West byelection campaign heats up, Congress bigwigs remain absent conspicuously — not only from the ground, but also from posters, billboards and digital media, fuelling speculation of divisions within the party.
Despite public claims of unity, Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Ludhiana district Congress chief Sanjay Talwar, and state's leader of opposition Pratap Bajwa have yet to appear in the campaign for party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Their absence is noticeable even on Ashu's social media graphics and physical hoardings, which feature Delhi-based leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge largely.
Only a handful of Punjab Congress bigwigs — including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, and Sunder Sham Arora — are backing Ashu visibly through public presence or digital promotion. The silence of Sanjay Talwar, once considered a close ally of Ashu, is striking particularly. While Talwar continues to promote Warring on his social media handles, he has not posted a single message in support of the Ludhiana West candidate.
The rift appears to date back to April 6, when Warring visited Ashu's residence but reportedly left after Ashu failed to meet him. Warring's team claimed the visit was pre-scheduled, while Ashu maintained he had not been informed. Ashu's camp has since alleged that Warring attempted to embarrass him publicly by inviting media to the visit.
Further signs of friction emerged when Warring skipped Ashu's welcome following his release from jail after being acquitted in a vigilance case, while Ashu was also absent notably from a key mayoral selection meeting that Warring had convened.
When contacted, Ashu downplayed any talk of infighting. "There is no rift between us," he said. "I am not even aware whose photographs are on the posters, as a separate team handles that. All Congress leaders are united. Some have joined the campaign already, while others will follow soon." Still, as the party positions the Ludhiana West byelection as a bellwether for Punjab's 2027 assembly elections, the absence of its top state leaders on the campaign trail raises questions it may not be able to answer with posters alone.
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