India, July 9 -- Less than a year before Punjab goes to the polls, the Congress is consumed by a fight over who should lead the party into that election - a fight that its central leadership continues to insist does not exist.

The rift centres on two men: Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the Punjab Congress president the high command has backed, and Charanjit Singh Channi, the former chief minister and Jalandhar MP leading the challenge.

The stakes are high. Congress was reduced to 18 seats in Punjab in 2022, its worst-ever result in the state, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept to power with 92. The party has cast the 2027 election - due early next year - as its chance to recover, which is exactly why factions within it are battling over ...