Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called a crucial meeting with Punjab Congress leaders and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members in Delhi on Friday to discuss organisational changes and the way forward for the state unit ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.The meeting, expected to be attended by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, comes after BJP appointed former Congress leader Kewal Singh Dhillon as president of its Punjab unit, replacing Jattvibeil Jakhar.Party sources said the deliberations will focus on strengthening Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and addressing internal dynamics to ensure unity in the run-up to the polls.The Punjab meeting follows the Congress high command’s recent interventions in southern states. These include the leadership transition in Karnataka, changes in Kerala, and alliance realignments in Tamil Nadu. Party insiders see these moves as an indication of Rahul Gandhi’s evolving approach to managing faction-ridden units.The decision to convene the meeting follows multiple rounds of consultations with senior Punjab leaders since January. PPCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi have held one-on-one meetings with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal.Other prominent leaders, including Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Vijay Inder Singla, Rana KP Singh, Pargat Singh, and Dr Amar Singh, have also been part of the process.A senior party leader said the high command now has a fair idea of the issues that need to be addressed to ensure the party functions as a unit before the 2027 elections. The feedback was gathered through popularity surveys and direct interactions.Although KC Venugopal has repeatedly ruled out any immediate change in the state leadership, sources indicated the party aims to strike a balance between various power centres. Senior leaders are likely to be accommodated in key bodies such as the manifesto committee, campaign committee, and election committee.  “The elections will be fought without projecting a chief ministerial candidate. The aim is to bring all leaders onto one platform,” a party insider said, adding that the high command is also wary of possible poaching attempts by BJP.The timing of the CWC meeting has drawn attention as it coincides with BJP’s decision to replace Jattvibeil Jakhar, a prominent leader from the Hindu Jat community, with Kewal Singh Dhillon, a Jat Sikh leader.Congress leaders described BJP’s move as part of its caste-based political strategy. “BJP has been pursuing caste-based politics. Wooing OBCs, Mazhabi and Ravidasia communities, and now upper-caste Sikhs has been the saffron party’s poll strategy,” party leaders said.