The aftermath of Ludhiana West bypoll defeat has plunged the Punjab Congress into a fresh bout of internal discord, with senior leader and party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu resigning as working president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and publicly hinting at deep-rooted factional fissures. The Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) Sanjeev Arora won the seat by a margin of 10,637 votes, but it is the Congress partys internal unraveling that has drawn greater attention in political circles.   As soon as the results were declared, a social media post allegedly shared by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring began circulating, showing a victory hand symbol, even though the party had lost. While the post was soon deleted, it triggered a wave of speculation about whether it was an intentional dig at Ashu, with whom Warring has had strained relations for months. The incident set off a series of veiled remarks and reactions within the party, exposing the fault lines that many insiders say had already marred the campaign.   Reacting to the viral post, Ashu offered a sharp but measured response, calling it a result of small-mindedness. If someone from our own party shared a victory symbol after the loss, it shows a petty mentality, he said, adding that the results clearly proved the contest was no cakewalk for the ruling AAP. We gave a tough fight. The reasons for the loss are out there if anyone cares to look, Ashu said, subtly pointing to the lack of unified support within his own party.   Sources close to the campaign confirmed that Ashu had categorically requested the high command to keep both Warring and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa away from his campaign, given their well-documented differences. His team had reportedly asked for autonomy during the campaign, preferring support from other loyalists like former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, who remained present throughout the poll battle.   Responding to the internal rumblings, Kaputhala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh defended the efforts of Congress workers and stood by Ashu. Our workers fought hard. The result is what it is — we accept it. Ashu was well-liked and thats why he secured so many votes, he said. Rana also took a jab at the AAP government, urging it to focus on ending corruption, the drug menace, and extortion threats in Punjab. On the viral post, Rana distanced himself, saying, I havent seen any such post. If it was shared, it was wrong.   Ashus resignation, while framed as an act of moral responsibility, is being seen by party insiders as a clear signal to the high command about the dysfunction within the Punjab unit. The episode has once again brought the Congresss inability to manage internal rivalries to the forefront — a weakness that has repeatedly cost it electoral ground in Punjab.   Political observers believe that unless the Congress urgently undertakes a structural and leadership overhaul, it risks ceding more space to AAP and BJP in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections. For a party that once dominated Punjab politics, the inability to present a united front even during a high-stakes bypoll speaks volumes of its organizational decay.

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