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BJP fields Amritsar native Chugh for Rajya Sabha from MP
The party released a list of 11 candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections, which did not include the names of former Punjab party chief Sunil Jakhar or Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday nominated its national general secretary and Amritsar native, Tarun Chugh, 55, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh, virtually assuring the Punjab leader’s entry into the Upper House.
The party released a list of 11 candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections, which did not include the names of former Punjab party chief Sunil Jakhar or Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu.
The announcement comes amid a buzz in political circles that Jakhar may be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha after making way for the party’s new Punjab president, Kewal Singh Dhillon, the first Jat Sikh to head the state unit.
Bittu, meanwhile, recently expressed his desire to contest the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, signalling a possible shift back to state politics after nearly 17 years in Parliament.
Chugh, who began his political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.
He has also served as Amritsar district secretary and later as a member of the party’s state executive. Chugh has overseen various campaigns and has been in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Ladakh and the BJP’s SC Morcha.
With the BJP expected to secure two of the three RS seats from Madhya Pradesh, Chugh’s election is considered a formality.
Expressing gratitude to the party leadership, Chugh said the trust placed in him was both an honour and a responsibility.
“Having started my political journey as a booth-level worker, I will work with sincerity, dedication, and commitment to live up to this confidence,” he said.
Party insiders, in the know of things, said Chugh’s nomination is an attempt by the BJP leadership to strike a balance between long-serving cadre-based leaders and those who joined the party from other political outfits in recent years.
The move assumes significance amid discontent among sections of Punjab BJP leaders and workers following the appointment of Dhillon, a former Congress leader who joined the party in 2022, as the state chief.
Biennial Rajya Sabha polls in 10 states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur, will be held on June 18.
