Infusing all its energies to make inroads in Punjab, especially after breaking decades-old ties with its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the saffron party is all set to make a big move in the border state. With BJP’s Punjab unit expected to undergo a major revamp anytime soon, speculations are rife that the Congress’ former state president and former MP Sunil Jakhar may be selected to lead the saffron brigade in Punjab.
A former Congressman carrying the rich political legacy of his father Balram Jakhar — the longest-serving Lok Sabha Speaker and a Union Minister in the Narasimha Rao Government, Jakhar had shifted his loyalties to the BJP in May the previous year. Just over 13 months in the party, the BJP's top leadership is considering handing over the party reins in Punjab to Jakhar—who not only has wide experience in handling the party affairs but also enjoys considerable presence among the masses, both rural and urban.
After parting ways with the Akali Dal, the BJP was constantly on the lookout for a face who could jointly wield influence in the state’s urban and rural segments. And being a Hindu-Jat face, Jakhar fits the bill.
Jakhar, who belongs to a farming family, is not only associated with the rural areas but also has a good hold in the urban areas.
It has also been learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have also put their stamp of approval on Jakhar’s name.
However, facing rebellion from within for elevating a turncoat as Punjab BJP chief while ignoring the “worthy” BJP leaders, the BJP high command is also mulling over the name of former Minister and senior party leader Surjit Kumar Jiyani. Interestingly, both Jakhar and Jiyani hail from Fazilka district.
Even as the party sources maintained that the announcement of Jakhar’s name is “just a formality now”, the BJP high command has assigned the responsibility to Union Minister and state party affairs in-charge Gajender Singh Shekhawat to douse the simmering discontentment among the state BJP leaders.
Shekhawat has been asked to pacify the voices of opposition within the BJP, before announcing Jakhar’s name.
As of now, the BJP is gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, going all out to woo Punjab voters with the Central Government taking pro-Sikh and pro-Punjab decisions. During Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Gurdaspur rally, the way Sunil Jakhar was introduced on the stage was enough to indicate that he would be the party candidate from the constituency, besides playing a crucial role in the party.
Sources informed The Pioneer that even though current Punjab BJP chief Ashwini Sharma has denied tendering any resignation claiming that the saffron party has “no such tradition”, he has vacated his office in the party’s state headquarters at Chandigarh. Sharma has been leading the party, his second term, for the past three years after taking over as Punjab BJP president on January 18, 2020, for the second time. His first tenure as state BJP chief was in 2010.
Under his leadership, the BJP contested the state assembly elections without SAD for the first time, and also the by-elections in Sangrur and Jalandhar Lok Sabha. However, the saffron party failed to make any inroads in Punjab. Currently, it has just two MLAs in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha, and no member in the Lok Sabha.
With the Congress’ top leaders — including former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Jakhar, several former Ministers like Manpreet Singh Badal, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Raj Kumar Verka, Sunder Sham Arora, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi; and former legislators — having joined the saffron brigade in the past one year or so, the BJP high command, it seems, is inclining towards the “experienced lot” who left the grand old party.
Taking a cue from the Congress’ win in 2017 assembly polls with Capt Amarinder-Jakhar’s combination, BJP is set to give a significant role to Jakhar. Political veteran and two time former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder is also backing Jakhar for the top job.
Jakhar, who was among the senior-most leaders of Punjab Congress, had joined the BJP in May 2022 in presence of its national party president JP Nadda.
A former Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Jakhar was elected twice as the MLA of Abohar assembly constituency and is known for his plain-speaking nature and straightforward approach.
The 68-year-old has also served as the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab assembly between 2012 and 2016. He became PPCC chief in 2017, and was replaced by Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2021. He was made the head of the Campaign Committee for 2022 polls.