Amid growing factionalism within the Punjab Congress, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s repeated absence from key party meetings and programmes has begun to draw attention within the state unit.

The latest incident came after Channi skipped the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Wednesday, despite expectations that he would attend the crucial party meet. Top Congress leaders met to discuss the political situation in the country, including the roadmap to step up pressure on the government over issues concerning students and the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple.

However, Channi cited academic commitments for his absence, saying he was focused on a public administration examination at Panjab University scheduled for Thursday, reported NDTV.

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Channi, who holds a PhD in political science from Panjab University, is currently pursuing a master's degree in public administration. He is also understood to have an interest in further research in the area of public policy reforms.

Prior to this meeting, Channi also stayed away from the Congress senior leader Bhupesh Baghel's extended visit to Punjab. Baghel spent around 10 days in the state as part of the Congress’ organisational exercise ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

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Channi’s absence from programmes involving a senior party leader has sparked speculation within the party and among the current state leadership. And now his decision to skip the CWC meeting has added another layer to the discussion, particularly at a time when the Punjab Congress is facing visible internal divisions.

The key question now is whether Channi’s absence from these engagements is really due to his academic commitments or something more.

Who All Were Present At CWC Meet?

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting began at 3 pm at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge chairing the meeting.

Top Congress leaders, including former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, and senior leaders Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik and P Chidambaram, among others, were in attendance.

The meeting was also attended by Congress chief ministers, including A Revanth Reddy of Telangana, V D Satheesan of Kerala, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and D K Shivakumar of Karnataka.