Sunil Jakhar is dissatisfied with how the party has handled him. Although he has not formally stepped down from his position, he has clearly stated his intentions.
Sunil Jakhar has avoided attending several recent party meetings by giving reasons. It was also discovered that he recently had discussions with the BJP leaders and shared his dissatisfaction on various matters.
Sources indicate that he conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their recent meetings that Punjab has not experienced any impact from the saffron party due to the leadership’s lack of focus on the border state.
Sources also mentioned that he expressed discontent during his meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda about not being considered for a Rajya Sabha seat or a central ministership.
Sources within the BJP claim that Jakhar was upset because Ravneet Singh Bittu, who switched to the saffron party before the Lok Sabha elections and lost in Ludhiana, was appointed as a minister in the Modi government.
Sunil Jakhar was upset because he was not informed about or invited to a meeting in February with three Central ministers, including Piyush Goyal, that took place before the Lok Sabha elections to discuss issues with farmers. Indeed, he eventually went public with his dissatisfaction.
Sources also mentioned that Sunil Jakhar is eager to return to his previous party, the Congress. It has been reported that he is in contact with former Punjab chief minister Charanjeet Singh Channi. Channi, who currently serves as a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, reportedly had a recent meeting with Sunil Jakhar.
However, individuals with knowledge of Channi’s views believe that the Congress is unlikely to welcome Sunil Jakhar back due to his departure at a critical time and his public criticisms of the party. A source close to the Congress PCC chief told that currently, he is not providing any benefit to us and we no longer find much value in his leadership.
The BJP will now face a major challenge in determining who will succeed Sunil Jakhar as the next state party chief following his expected departure. Reports suggest that in the search for a Sikh representative, the saffron party may delegate the task to experienced leader Kewal Dhillon. In his seventies, he failed to secure victory in any election while serving in Congress.
If the BJP wishes to nominate a Hindu candidate, who represents a large portion of the population, then Tarun Chugh and Subhash Sharma are the top contenders. Chugh serves as the central BJP’s general secretary and previously oversaw the organization in the state. He is currently overseeing Jammu and Kashmir, where elections have recently finished.
On the contrary, Sharma ran for the Lok Sabha elections from Anandpur Sahib as a BJP candidate. At present, he occupies a position within the state institution. Sharma, who is in his fifties, is known to be a dedicated party worker in the state, despite the lack of significant achievements.
It is evident. This time, the BJP will focus on selecting a state president who aligns with the party’s ideology. According to a source, handing over such posts to traitors or newcomers has not yielded significant rewards.
Not only Sunil Jakhar feels excluded in the BJP. Many more leaders, who moved from Congress to BJP at the urging of former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, have similar feelings. Five out of the seven ministers who switched from the Channi government to the BJP, such as Rajkumar Virka, Balbir Sidhu, Jagmohan kank, Shyamsundar Arora, and Gurpreet Singh Kangad, have already returned.
One of the explanations provided by these leaders is the BJP central leadership’s lack of interest in Punjab. Furthermore, within the BJP, the level of acceptance is significantly low for those who have switched over from another party. These leaders felt like they were without direction. According to a source, their attendance at the party was largely unnecessary.
During the most recent assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) completely defeated the Congress and appointed Bhagwant Mann as the chief minister of the state. Punjab’s strategic positioning and thriving agricultural industry make it a significant border state. The challenge for any state government has been figuring out how to control the origin and distribution of readily available drugs.