Chandigarh, July 3 -- The Congress high command's attempt to strike a balance among Punjab's rival factions through an organisational rejig appears to have done little to quell discontent, with sections of party leaders expressing unease over the appointments a day after the announcement. While the party retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state unit chief and Partap Singh Bajwa as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), it sought to accommodate different factions by constituting key election-related committees and appointing three working presidents representing different castes and regions ahead of the Punjab assembly elections. The appointments followed an extensive organisational review by a committee headed by senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, which was tasked with evolving a balanced power-sharing formula for various factions within the state unit. However, leaders loyal to former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who was vying for the post of the state president, are learnt to be unhappy with the announcements. According to a party leader, in the know of the development, Channi supporters have expressed disappointment over the appointments and are expected to meet at his residence soon to discuss the issue and chalk out their future course of action. The unease in the party extends beyond the Channi camp. Congress leader and three-term Lok Sabha lawmaker Manish Tewari has also reacted sharply after being left out of the party's panels for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections and put out a cryptic post on X wishing he had an antidote for the "insecurities of individuals" and "institutions". Significantly, none of the senior Punjab party leaders has publicly welcomed the organisational rejig. Channi, who was named chairman of the campaign committee, neither posted a message on social media nor has he publicly thanked the party high command, as is the norm. Likewise, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, named as chairman of the coordination committee, has refrained from issuing any statement or social media post regarding his new assignment. "Channi is the tallest leader in Punjab, and workers want him as PPCC president as well as the party's chief ministerial face," said a Congress MLA, requesting anonymity. He claimed that several leaders had conveyed this sentiment to the party high command and that internal party surveys also reflected Channi's popularity. "It is the workers who do the groundwork, and many are not enthused by the new appointments," said another senior leader, who belongs to Channi's camp. The Congress is looking at the 2027 electoral battle as an opportunity to recover from its worst-ever performance in the 2022 state assembly polls. The party was not only voted out of power, but was reduced to just 18 seats in the 117-member assembly with a vote share of 22.98%, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the government, winning 92 seats. The setback marked a sharp reversal from the 2017 assembly elections, when the Congress secured a decisive mandate by winning 77 seats, ending the decade-long Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government rule, while restricting the AAP to just 20 seats. A Doaba leader, who didn't wish to be named, also questioned the composition of the campaign committee, noting that rivals Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Rana Gurjeet Singh had both been included in it. "They cannot work together. It appears the high command was not fully briefed while finalising the committees," said the leader who didn't wish to be named. He also questioned the structure of the new organisational setup, pointing out that while Randhawa has been appointed chairman of the coordination committee, there is no clarity on its composition, powers or reporting structure, in the absence of a core committee. "The three working presidents have two Dalits and one OBC. Why didn't the party appoint a Hindu as working president? Hindus are already feeling alienated. Rana Kanwarpal Singh, a prominent Hindu leader, was ignored in the entire setup," he added. Punjab Congress chief Raja Warring, Bajwa and Channi didn't respond to calls seeking their reactions....