New Delhi/Chandigarh, Sept. 6 -- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday removed Bhupesh Baghel as the general secretary in-charge of the poll-bound Punjab, replacing him with former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. The party also appointed Randeep Surjewala as Gujarat in-charge, another state going to polls next year, shaking up the organisation ahead of the series of upcoming elections. A total of three general secretaries have been allotted new states while another three leaders got dropped, according to a press release issued by party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal. The Congress has also moved its three more in-charges (apart from the general secretaries) to other states. A senior Congress leader remarked that this is one of the biggest reshuffles at the higher level of the party organisation. Baghel, the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, has been assigned Assam, where assembly elections were held in April this year. Appointed as Punjab in-charge in February 2025, Baghel's removal comes amid his strained equation with former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has been demanding that party's Punjab unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring be replaced. Channi had boycotted nearly all meetings chaired by Baghel in the past few months leading to an impasse that is affecting the poll preparations. Last month, Baghel had submitted his report on Punjab to the party high command. It favoured no leadership change in the state. According to officials, Baghel was scheduled to go to Chandigarh on Sunday for further meetings. In his tweet, Channi thanked the party leadership for the "important decision". "A warm welcome to Shri Sachin Pilot Ji on his appointment as General Secretary In-charge of Punjab Congress. Heartfelt thanks to the Congress Party High Command for this important decision," Channi tweeted. "Shri @bhupeshbaghel Ji has been a guide and mentor for @INCPunjab and all Congress workers in the state. His guidance has been instrumental in strengthening the party at the grassroots level. Personally, I have learnt a lot from him and will always remain indebted to him. Thankful for everything sir," Warring wrote on X. He also congratulated Pilot for his appointment. "His energy and dynamism will for sure add to the vigour of the party ahead of crucial assembly elections just a few months away." Punjab goes to polls early next year. In September 2021, the Congress had forced then Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to resign and elevated Channi to the post before the polls in 2022. Baghel's removal also comes ahead of the proposed Punjab yatra of leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Baghel was deeply involved in the preparations for the yatra and held a meeting in Delhi last week. "Gratitude to the top leadership for this new responsibility as the in-charge General Secretary of Assam Congress. Congratulations also to all newly appointed General Secretaries / State In-charges...We, all Congress workers of Chhattisgarh, are grateful for the able leadership of Congress General Secretary, the esteemed Shri Sachin Pilot Ji," Baghel tweeted. Pilot was handling party affairs in Chhattisgarh. A senior leader from Punjab told HT, "We now expect Channi to attend election-related meetings. The equation will also undergo a change as Pilot, 48, is younger to the 63-year-old Channi. The reshuffle was necessary as Channi is the head of the campaign committee." Pilot brings considerable organisational experience to the assignment. He served as Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president from 2014 to 2020 and was deputy chief minister from 2018 to 2020. As PCC chief, he led the Congress campaign in Rajasthan after the party's poor performance in the 2013 assembly elections and remained at the centre of the party's organisational revival that culminated in its victory in the 2018 polls. "His immediate task is likely to be less about organisational restructuring and more about ensuring that the competing factions work together on Rahul Gandhi's proposed Punjab programme and the party's election preparations," said a Congress leader. Meanwhile, Pilot said the upcoming election in Punjab would be an important opportunity for the party....