Chandigarh, June 27 -- : The Congress high command has accepted the resignations of three senior Punjab leaders, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Pargat Singh, and Kushaldeep Singh Kikki Dhillon, following the party's defeat in the Ludhiana West byelection. The move comes days after factionalism within the state unit turned into a "full-blown rebellion", triggered by the exclusion of Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa from the party's campaign machinery. Ashu, who contested the seat, led a divided campaign that left senior state leadership "sidelined", a strategy that now appears to have "backfired". Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi and MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, were also part of this group, but have now chosen to remain silent. Ashu took "moral responsibility" for the defeat and stepped down soon after the results were declared. He was followed by party vice-presidents Pargat Singh and Kikki Dhillon, who too handed over their resignations, citing the need for party-wide introspection. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge approved the resignations, with Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel releasing a brief statement: "The party acknowledges their contributions and wishes them success in future endeavours." Behind this administrative shuffle lies a deeper political signal: the high command has reasserted control, quietly backing Warring-who maintained strategic silence during the turbulence. Despite being kept out of the bypoll campaign, Warring neither protested publicly nor attempted to assert his authority, choosing instead to let the consequences play out naturally. The party high command is also contemplating to disapprove the inclusion of some leaders in the party, who were joined by the Ashu group during the bypoll. Warring had also written to the high command over it. Insiders say the leadership viewed the exclusion of Warring and Bajwa from Ashu's campaign as a serious breach of party protocol. Notably, Warring's attempt to meet Ashu in the early campaign stages was reportedly snubbed, an episode symbolic of the "fractured relations at the top". The bypoll campaign was instead commandeered by a parallel power bloc, including Charanjit Singh Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, and the now-resigned vice-presidents. This group sidelined not just Warring and Bajwa but also failed to secure party unity, a major reason attributed to the party's bypoll drubbing. "Usually, the resignations remain pending for many months with the high command. However, to exercise control over the PPCC and to support Warring, the party high command decided to crack the whip", admitted a senior leader. "The message is clear: factionalism will not be rewarded, and silence, when calculated, can indeed be powerful," said a leader. Despite attempts, Bhagel didn't respond to calls....