Days after his appointment as Congress’ in-charge of Punjab, Sachin Pilot on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) met Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and discussed the party’s strategy in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
AICC general secretary Sachin Pilot met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi at 10, Janpath, the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
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Sources said the party’s upcoming programmes in Punjab and strategy for the polls came up for discussion during the meeting.
In a post on X after the meeting, Mr. 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,” Mr. Pilot 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 said.
आज सुबह नेता प्रतिपक्ष @RahulGandhi जी और महासचिव @priyankagandhi जी से मुलाकात की और पंजाब का दायित्व सौंपने के लिए उनका आभार व्यक्त किया। मुझे पूरा विश्वास है कि सामूहिक मेहनत, सशक्त संगठन और कार्यकर्ताओं की ऊर्जा के साथ मिलकर कांग्रेस की पंजाब में सत्ता में वापसी होगी।… pic.twitter.com/x7ArvhWBOk
— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) September 8, 2026
The party on Saturday (September 5) carried out a major organisational reshuffle and appointed Mr. Pilot as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel.
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Incidentally, Mr. Pilot till now was in-charge of Chhattisgarh, where Mr. Baghel is a key leader and a former chief minister. Mr. Baghel will now look after Assam, replacing Jitendra Singh.
Punjab goes to the polls early next year, and Mr. 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.
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Mr. Pilot, who turned 49 on Monday (September 7), 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.
Mr. 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.
Mr. Pilot has seen several ups and downs in his over two-decades-long career, but the party’s youth poster boy is fast-emerging as its go-to trump card to swing electoral fortunes in tough states.
Mr. Pilot, after all, 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.
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Mr. 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. Pilot’s campaign and role in the Kerala assembly polls were lauded by one and all.
The Congress is looking for a comeback in Punjab and therefore has pinned its hopes on a man who is no stranger to comebacks.