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 the state. 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 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 Congress. However, the party has decided to fight the elections under united leadership and without any CM face. "The ground surveys conducted by the PPCC and AICC present different pictures. Therefore, to ascertain the ground reality, AICC president Malikarjun Khadge and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi have decided to send three observers, who will submit a report by next week," said a Congress leader, privy to the development....