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Jakhar appointed Punjab BJP chief
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday appointed former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, 68, as its state unit president
Chandigarh : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday appointed former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, 68, as its state unit president.
A formal letter of Jakhar’s appointment was handed over to him by BJP national chief JP Nadda in New Delhi.
On Monday, Hindustan Times was the first to report that Jakhar is set to succeed Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma as the Punjab BJP president.
Sunil Jakhar, one of the senior most Congress leaders in Punjab, joined the saffron party in May 2022, three months after the assembly elections that the Congress lost.
A former Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Jakhar is a three-time MLA from Abohar assembly constituency. He is known for his plain speak and straightforward approach. In the 2017 assembly polls, when Congress formed the government in Punjab, Jakhar lost to BJP’s Arun Narang.
Jakhar had been Punjab Congress chief for four years before being replaced by Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2021.
A Hindu Jat, he was the leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly from 2012-16.
The son of former Lok Sabha speaker late Balram Jakhar, he became the PPCC chief in 2017 and headed the party’s campaign committee for the 2022 elections.
When the Congress high command decided to replace Amarinder as the chief minister, Jakhar was believed to have the support of majority of MLAs to become the next CM. As per Jakhar’s claims, he was ignored for the CM’s post as senior party leader from Punjab, Ambika Soni, had told the high command that a Hindu cannot be the Punjab CM. Upset, Jakhar didn’t contest the 2022 assembly polls. His nephew Sandeep Jakhar now represents Abohar.
Jakhar succeeds Ashwani Sharma, who has been serving his second consecutive tenure as state BJP chief for the past six months.
Heartburn among some BJP leaders
“Outsider” Jakhar’s appointment as state unit chief has caused heartburn among some party leaders.
Outgoing president Ashwani Sharma, who is said to be upset with party’s decision to replace him six months after giving him the second consecutive term as party chief, thanked party workers for their support in a social media post but didn’t wish Jakhar on his appointment.
As the head of state unit, Jakhar faces huge challenges as many of his detractors in the Congress are already part of the BJP now.
Shedding the tag of an outsider to win the confidence of the saffron party leaders would be tough task for Jakhar, who according to party insiders, has been picked for the post keeping in view the party’s plan to expand its base in Punjab ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
