Setback For BJP Ahead Of Punjab Panchayat Elections; State President Sunil Jakhar 'Resigns'

Sources said that Jakhar has expressed his unwillingness to continue with the post given personal differences with the BJP's Punjab leadership. Jakhar, who had quit the Congress in May 2022 and joined the BJP, was instantly elevated to the state president post by the saffron party which many believe did not go well with the veteran party leaders. BJP has dismissed the reports of Sunil Jakhar's 'resignation' as false and baseless.

Chandigarh (Punjab): In a setback to the BJP ahead of the upcoming Panchayat elections in Punjab, the saffron party's state President Sunil Jakhar has reportedly resigned from the post with the party high command yet to accept the resignation.

While Jakhar remains tight-lipped over the development, reliable sources in the BJP said that the BJP state President has expressed his unwillingness to continue with the post for personal differences with the state leadership.

It is being said that Jakhar's resignation was on the cards as he had been distancing from party activities and important meetings for the past several days. Jakhar did not attend the meeting held in Chandigarh on Thursday regarding the BJP's membership campaign. The last party meeting Jakhar attended was on September 3 when the BJP launched the party membership.

If sources are to be believed, Jakhar is very angry with the way Ravneet Bittu was given priority in the BJP. According to sources, Sunil Jakhar had started distancing himself from the party since July.

Sunil Jakhar has a deep connection with politics. His father Balram Jakhar has been a Congress leader. Balram served as Speaker of Lok Sabha and Governor of Madhya Pradesh. He was also the longest serving Speaker of the Lok Sabha, with a tenure of 9 years and 329 days.

Exit From Congress

In 2002, Sunil Jakhar won the Legislative Assembly election for the first time from the Abohar Legislative Assembly seat of Punjab on a Congress ticket. He won the Gurdaspur by-election and became a Member of Parliament in 2022. A few days after receiving notice from the Congress high-command, Jakhar quit the Indian National Congress on 14 May taht year. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi on 19 May 2022. On 4 July 2023, Jakhar was made the president of BJP Punjab.

Reacting on this matter, Punjab BJP General Secretary Anil Sareen termed the news of Sunil Jakhar's resignation from the post of party state unit president as 'baseless and false'. He said that Jakhar is the president of the state unit of BJP and he is fulfilling his responsibility as the president. There is a completely false propaganda being spread by the opposition parties, he said.