Bharatiya Janata Party is set to appoint a new president for its Punjab unit, with the party inclined towards naming a Sikh leader as part of its preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections. The three-year tenure of incumbent chief Sunil Jakhar ends in July.
According to party sources, the BJP’s Punjab unit is likely to get a new face as president by the end of this month or early next month. Jakhar is expected to continue leading the campaign until then.
The suggestion to appoint a Sikh president in Punjab has reportedly come from Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini, who has been actively leading the campaign and participating in party functions and rallies in the state.
BJP’s options for a Sikh appointee —
Sources say prominent names doing the rounds include Union Minister Ravneet Bittu, grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, and former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal. Kewal Dhillon’s candidature is being actively pushed by Capt. Amarinder Singh. However, senior BJP leader Manjit Rai from Ferozepur is emerging as a dark horse. Rai, who has served the party at various organisational levels, is seen as having deep grassroots connections in the Malwa region.
Besides, Jagmohan Raju, a bureaucrat-turned-BJP leader from Amritsar, is also being considered for the post. He resigned from service in 2022, entered politics, and was later appointed general secretary of the BJP in Punjab.
Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Sandhu and former MLA Rana Gurmeet Sodhi are among other Sikh faces in the party, besides ex-MLA Fateh Jung Bajwa.
Hindu leaders are not entirely out of the picture either. Senior leader Tarun Chugh, who has long been associated with the party’s Punjab affairs, is also said to be in the reckoning.
After its historic victory in West Bengal, where it defeated Mamata Banerjee by securing 207 seats out of 290, the BJP has now set its eyes firmly on Punjab — a state that has traditionally been a hard nut to crack for the party.
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