Punjab: Do Sunil Jakhar resignation reports hint at cracks in BJP?

Amid increasing speculation over Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar’s resignation, the party has dismissed it as “totally baseless”.

Jakhar, a former Congress leader whose father and veteran Congress leader Balram Jakhar served as the longest-serving speaker of the Lok Sabha, is reportedly upset with the state BJP's functioning.

Sunil Jakhar served as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 2017-21. He was elected three consecutive times from the Abohar Assembly segment and held the position of leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012-17.

A long-time member of the Congress, Jakhar was associated with the party for five decades before parting ways in 2022. He joined the BJP in May that year, three months after the Congress suffered a big defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections.

Though the BJP insists that Jakhar has not resigned, political observers view the rumours as a sign of deeper problems within the party’s Punjab unit. With the Haryana Assembly elections looming, the uncertainty surrounding Jakhar’s leadership could damage the BJP’s prospects, political watchers believe.  

A report by the Tribune claims that multiple sources, both within Punjab and the national BJP, have confirmed Jakhar’s resignation. His absence from a crucial meeting on Thursday to strategise for the upcoming panchayat elections has only added to the speculation.

According to the report, the Punjab BJP is now “headless” ahead of the 15 October polls.

Jakhar has yet to make a public statement on the matter, but his close aide Sanjeev Trikha told PTI that there is no truth to the resignation rumours. BJP’s Punjab unit general secretary Jeevan Gupta downplayed the significance of Jakhar’s absence, stating that it is not mandatory for the state president to attend every meeting. 

Reacting to the developments, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring wrote on X, “Mr @sunilkjakhar, All the best, where next?”

His cryptic message has fuelled speculation that Jakhar might rejoin the Congress, especially given the BJP’s weak footing in Punjab after the controversy over the contentious and now scrapped agricultural laws. Many political analysts believe that a return to the Congress is not out of the question, as the BJP continues to grapple with its anti-Sikh image in the state.