Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar has reportedly resigned ahead of the panchayat elections scheduled for October 15, although no official confirmation has been provided, IE reported. Jakhar has not responded to calls, and his personal assistant Sanjeev Trika informed IE that “there is nothing like this”, adding that Jakhar has merely been busy and less active recently.
However, sources within the BJP high command have indicated that Jakhar has expressed his unwillingness to continue in his role as state party president, citing his inability to work freely within the state.
Since the Lok Sabha elections, Jakhar has significantly reduced his involvement in state politics, with his last public appearance on September 3 at a BJP state meeting in Chandigarh that launched the party’s membership drive.
Jakhar had previously resigned from Congress in May 2022, where he served as state president, before joining the BJP later that same month. By July 4, 2022, he was appointed as the Punjab BJP president.
Discontent has reportedly surfaced within the BJP, with longstanding members expressing dissatisfaction over the influx of former Congress leaders into the party and their subsequent appointments to key positions. “We will not allow Congressism to infiltrate the BJP,” a senior BJP leader stated.
Rumors have circulated regarding strained relations between Jakhar and Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, as well as with BJP leader Rana Sodhi, who won the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat. Both Jakhar and Sodhi were formerly in Congress together. Jakhar’s absence from a recent BJP state body meeting aimed at discussing the membership drive has further fueled speculation about his resignation.
While many BJP leaders have been actively campaigning in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Jakhar has been noticeably absent from these efforts.