The Congress on Saturday appointed Sachin Pilot as general secretary in-charge of Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel, a day after Rahul Gandhi chaired a crucial meeting of the state leadership to address prolonged infighting and signalled that major political and organisational changes were in the offing.Baghel has been shifted to Assam as general secretary in-charge, while Pilot takes charge of Punjab at a politically sensitive juncture, with the high command considering changes in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and Rahul’s proposed bus yatra being planned ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.The appointments, approved by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, take immediate effect. Pilot’s appointment comes barely 24 hours after the long-awaited Punjab meeting chaired by Rahul in Delhi on Friday evening. Kharge, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present as the leadership discussed ways to resolve differences among senior Punjab leaders.According to party sources, the meeting explored various options to break the organisational deadlock, with independently gathered field reports on senior state leaders also discussed.Saturday’s reshuffle has effectively set that exercise in motion. Besides moving Baghel to Assam and bringing Pilot to Punjab, the Congress appointed Randeep Singh Surjewala as general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, while he continues to oversee Karnataka. Sukhdeo Bhagat has been assigned Chhattisgarh, Dr Sirivella Prasad Maharashtra and PV Mohan Andhra Pradesh.The party also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing general secretaries and in-charges Jitendra Singh, Ramesh Chennithala and Manickam Tagore. Mukul Wasnik will continue as AICC general secretary.For Punjab, however, the timing of Pilot’s appointment is significant. Party sources said feedback gathered by Rahul’s team indicated that Pilot’s political appeal in the state remained intact despite public differences among senior leaders. His proposed bus yatra is therefore being viewed as a key component of the party’s preparations for the 2027 Assembly polls.The leadership has also examined the reasons behind infighting among senior leaders, particularly complaints that some were pursuing individual political agendas over the party’s broader objectives.