Chandigarh, June 12 -- With the Punjab assembly elections just a few months away, Congress president Malikarjun Kharge on Thursday appointed a three-member panel to prepare a report on the political situation in Punjab.

The panel includes Ajay Maken, Meenakshi Natarajan and Bhajan Lal Jatav, who have been assigned the role of observers. "The panel will submit their assessment and recommendations directly to the Congress leadership to guide the party's upcoming strategic decisions," said a Congressman.

The Congress high command over the past fortnight has held a series of meetings to end factionalism in its Punjab unit. At least half a dozen aspirants are vying for the chief minister's chair and demanding change of guard in the state Con...