The BJP national President has named Kewal Singh Dhillon, a Jat Sikh and former legislator, as the new state president in Punjab. Dhillon, a close associate of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, replaces Sunil Jakhar, a prominent Hindu face in the party. This move is seen as a strategy to present a Sikh leader ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in Punjab.
Dhillon previously served as a Congress legislator from Barnala between 2007 and 2017. After joining the BJP in June 2022 following the Congress’ defeat in the Assembly elections, he contested in the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election in 2022 and the Barnala Assembly bypoll in 2024 on a BJP ticket, losing both.
In September 2024, rumors circulated about Sunil Jakhar resigning as the state unit president, which the BJP denied. Jakhar, a former Congress leader who joined the BJP in May 2022, had expressed discontent with the party’s affairs. Despite this, he remained active in state-related matters and party engagements.
The BJP had appointed Jakhar as the state unit president in July 2023 after he joined the party post the Congress’ defeat in the Assembly elections. Known for his candid demeanor, Jakhar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, had served as a three-time MLA from the Abohar Assembly constituency. He had previously led the Congress in Punjab for four years before Navjot Singh Sidhu took over in 2021.
