Signalling its intent to expand beyond its Bihar stronghold, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) on Saturday formally announced its entry into Punjab politics and declared that it will contest the 2027 assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club, JD(U) Punjab in-charge Sanjay Kumar unveiled the party’s initial state structure, launched a membership campaign, and pitched the party as a development-oriented, transparent alternative to address the concerns of farmers, youth, and entrepreneurs.
The party appointed Malvinder Singh as president of its Punjab unit, Gurpal Singh Hundal as vice-president, IS Ahluwalia as secretary general, and Sanjiv Jha as general secretary of the organisation, while former Union minister Kanwar Singh Dhindsa was inducted into the core leadership.
This newly formed core committee will oversee grassroots expansion across villages and cities, focusing its proposed agenda on employment, agricultural reforms, and healthcare. While the announcement adds a new player to Punjab’s shifting political landscape, the party refrained from identifying prospective candidates or announcing any electoral alliances, maintaining that its immediate priority remains building a robust organisational framework.
While local Punjabi youth migrate abroad, according to estimates, over 4 lakh of migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have quietly sustained the state’s agricultural and industrial economies. Despite their vital economic role, this diaspora has been relegated to the political sidelines, holding little local electoral weight and often facing the outsider tag. Nitish Kumar’s party is testing whether it can bridge this socio-economic divide.
{{/usCountry}}While local Punjabi youth migrate abroad, according to estimates, over 4 lakh of migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have quietly sustained the state’s agricultural and industrial economies. Despite their vital economic role, this diaspora has been relegated to the political sidelines, holding little local electoral weight and often facing the outsider tag. Nitish Kumar’s party is testing whether it can bridge this socio-economic divide.
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