Why Rahul Gandhi chose Mann's Sangrur stronghold: 69 Malwa seats, agrarian politics and Congress's 2027 challenge
Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Nov 4 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's decision to begin his party's campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district of Sangrur reflects a political calculation centred on Malwa's 69 Assembly seats, the state's agrarian heartland and a region where the Congress suffered a crushing defeat in 2022.
Wednesday's 'Insaaf Rally' at Phaguwala village is expected to focus on drug abuse, unemployment, farmers' grievances and law and order, while providing an early test of the Congress's efforts to rebuild its organisation ahead of the elections. Malwa accounts for nearly 59 per cent of Punjab's 117 Assembly constituencies. Congress won 40 seats in the region in 2017 but secured only two in 2022, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) captured 66. The scale of that reversal explains why Malwa occupies a central place in the opposition party's preparations. Sangrur carries additional political significance.
Mann represents Dhuri, while Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema represents Dirba and AAP's Punjab president Aman Arora represents Sunam, all within Sangrur district. By holding its rally in the chief minister's home district, Congress is seeking to confront the ruling party on territory closely associated with its senior leadership.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said the rally would raise questions concerning drug trafficking, unemployment, paddy procurement, law and order, sacrilege cases and Punjab's rights. Singh described the gathering as more than a political event, saying it would give voice to farmers' concerns, the future of young people and the public's demand for justice. The political importance of Malwa extends beyond its numerical strength. Encompassing districts including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Barnala, Patiala, Ludhiana and Faridkot, the region has a substantial agricultural economy and a socially diverse electorate. Its population includes Jat Sikh farming communities, Scheduled Castes, agricultural labourers, small landholders, traders and urban workers. Farm debt, crop prices, irrigation, employment and public services influence political debate, although electoral preferences vary considerably across constituencies. The region's recent history illustrates those changing loyalties.
Congress dominated Malwa in 2017 before AAP swept most of its constituencies five years later. Sangrur's parliamentary contests have also produced contrasting outcomes. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann defeated AAP in the 2022 Lok Sabha by-election, but AAP regained the constituency in 2024 when Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer defeated Congress candidate Sukhpal Singh Khaira by 172,560 votes.
Drug-related controversies are expected to feature prominently in Congress's campaign. The death of Gulzar Singh, an agricultural labourer from Toor Banjara village in Sangrur's Dirba constituency, became a political controversy after he questioned Finance Minister Cheema about drug abuse during a September visit. Gulzar Singh subsequently consumed poison and died in hospital. His family alleged that he had faced intimidation and caste-based humiliation following the confrontation. Police registered a case against five local residents, including the village sarpanch, on allegations of abetment to suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Petitioners seeking an independent investigation alleged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that a purported video statement implicated Cheema. The minister was not named in the FIR and has rejected opposition allegations linking him to the death. In a report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, police said Gulzar Singh's son, Lakhwinder Singh, had stated on September 27 that he did not possess any video relating to his father's death. The purported video statement and allegations surrounding the death have been central to the controversy.
Another sensitive issue concerns the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. His father, Bhim Singh, has publicly asked Rahul Gandhi not to visit the family's protest, saying he feared being excommunicated from the Sikh Panth if he met a member of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's family. He linked his objection to the legacy of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence and also asked members of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh's family to stay away. He said other Congress leaders were welcome.
The AAP government maintains that it is pursuing action against drug trafficking through police operations and enforcement campaigns. Congress leaders Sachin Pilot, Pargat Singh and Vijay Inder Singla have reviewed rally preparations, while senior party leader Raj Kumar Verka has also expressed confidence in the Congress's organisational readiness. The rally comes amid factional differences within Punjab Congress, making organisational unity another challenge as the party prepares to contest the elections. Congress expects more than 100,000 people to attend the gathering, which is scheduled to be addressed by Gandhi. For Congress, Sangrur offers a platform to challenge Mann's government on its home ground. Whether that challenge translates into sustained support will depend on the party's ability to address local concerns and rebuild its organisation across Malwa.
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