BJP's Punjab Prez Offers to Quit

New Delhi:Sunil Jakhar, president of the BJP's Punjab unit, has reportedly offered to resign from the party, allegedly due to internal conflicts and dissatisfaction with certain colleagues. Sources suggest that Jakhar is unhappy with the promotion of Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was included in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's team despite losing in the Lok Sabha elections. However, the BJP has termed reports of Jakhar's resignation as "totally baseless."

This is the second time since July that Jakhar has reportedly expressed a desire to step down. Both Jakhar and Bittu are former Congress leaders who joined the BJP, with Jakhar joining in 2022 and Bittu joining ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While Jakhar is a prominent non-Sikh leader in Punjab, Bittu, a Sikh leader, is seen as an important figure for the BJP in the Sikh-majority state.

The reports of Jakhar's potential resignation come at a crucial time for the BJP, which is preparing for the upcoming panchayat elections next month. Despite failing to win any seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the party's vote share nearly doubled, and it is now the third-largest party in Punjab. The BJP is hopeful that this increased support will translate into success in the local elections.

Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin dismissed the rumors, calling them "totally baseless and false." He added that Jakhar continues to lead the state unit and that his absence from a recent meeting on the party's membership drive was not significant, as the state president is not required to attend every meeting.

Sunil Jakhar was appointed as the Punjab BJP chief in July 2023, taking over from BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma. A former Congress leader, Jakhar has served as an MLA from Abohar and as a Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur. He also held the position of Punjab Congress chief and served as Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly from 2012 to 2016. Jakhar is the son of late Balram Jakhar, a former Union minister and Lok Sabha Speaker.