"Field Me Against Bhagwant Mann": Punjab Congress Chief Raises Stakes

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday said he wanted to contest the 2027 Assembly polls against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, urging the party leadership to field him against the AAP leader or not field him at all.His remarks came hours after senior Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira proposed that Warring should contest the polls against Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.Addressing Punjab Congress in charge Bhupesh Baghel during the party's "Har Booth Congress Mazboot" campaign, Warring said the final decision rested with the party high command but made his preference clear."Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will decide where I contest from. But either don't field me as a candidate or field me against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann," Warring said from the stage.The statement comes at a time when Warring has repeatedly faced allegations from within his own party that he has a tacit understanding with the AAP leadership. Senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has publicly accused Warring of being a "compromised" leader and alleged that he shares a political understanding with Bhagwant Mann.Against that backdrop, Warring's public challenge to contest directly against Mann appears aimed at puncturing the narrative being built by his detractors.The remarks also came just hours after Kulbir Singh Zira proposed that Warring should be fielded against SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, arguing that the Congress should pit its heavyweights against the biggest faces of rival parties to create high-voltage contests in 2027.Warring, however, shifted the focus squarely onto the ruling AAP, indicating that defeating Bhagwant Mann, rather than merely taking on the Akalis, should be the Congress' principal political objective as it prepares for the next Assembly election.