Jakhar, who was seen as a hardcore Congressman, crossed over to the BJP last year after parting ways with the grand old party, when he was issued a show-cause notice for allegedly using derogatory language against former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. File pic/PTI
News18 had on Monday reported that Jakhar was the front-runner for the post. A formal announcement in this regard was made by BJP national president JP Nadda
With an eye on the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party finally made a change at the top rung of its leadership in Punjab by appointing former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar as its new local unit president.
News18 had on Monday reported that Jakhar was the front-runner for the post. A formal announcement in this regard was made by BJP national president JP Nadda.
Jakhar, who was seen as a hardcore Congressman, crossed over to the BJP last year after parting ways with the grand old party, when he was issued a show-cause notice for allegedly using derogatory language against former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. With the formal announcement, Jakhar expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, and party president JP Nadda for reposing their trust in him and giving him the important responsibility. “I will work relentlessly to safeguard the interests of Punjab and aspirations of every Punjabi,” he said.
Ashwani Sharma, the man Jakhar is replacing, while not commenting on the step issued a statement to his supporters. “As the state president, you all have given a lot of love and support, especially during the Kisan Andolan in which activists were being attacked and it was difficult for them to leave their homes. You stood with the party and with me even then. I will never forget this. I will always be in touch with you all and I will always be personally available to you,” he said.
With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind, the change of guard at the top of the state BJP was in the offing with several senior leaders indicating that a switch was necessary. The party is hoping that Jakhar’s clout both among the Hindu as well as Sikh communities would ensure the elimination of resentment among the cadre for appointing a party-hopper to the post.
69-year-old Jakhar hails from Panjkosi village of Fazilka district and is the youngest son of Congress stalwart and former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar. Before joining the BJP, Sunil Jakhar won three assembly elections consecutively between 2002 and 2012 from Abohar. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2017 by-election from Gurdaspur. Before that, he served as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and leader of the opposition in the state assembly. He narrowly missed being the chief minister of Punjab in 2021 after Charanjit Singh Channi was favoured by Rahul Gandhi.
