CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, factionalism is no longer confined to the Punjab Congress. It has also gripped the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the recent announcement of a new team of state office-bearers triggered a spate of resignations, protests and open dissent, with leaders accusing the party leadership of ignoring loyal grassroots workers.
The organisational reshuffle, intended to project unity and preparedness ahead of the polls while expanding the party's electoral appeal, has instead exposed growing unease within the saffron party. Resignations by several veteran leaders, some associated with the BJP for decades, and an unusual spell of public rebellion have reinforced the perception among sections of the traditional cadre that the old guard is being sidelined.
The resentment stems from the belief that newcomers are being rewarded with key organisational positions while long-serving party workers are being overlooked. As the BJP continues to attract leaders from rival parties, many within the traditional cadre feel they are being forced to share political space at the expense of their own contributions.
On Sunday, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon, a former Congress MLA from Barnala who joined the BJP in 2022 and was appointed state president in June, announced a new organisational team. The appointments included 12 vice-presidents, five general secretaries and 12 secretaries, with several recent entrants from rival parties securing important positions.
Of the 12 state vice-presidents, six are former leaders from the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They include former Congress MLA Ashwani Sekhri, former AICC secretary Tejinder Singh Bittu, former MP Sushil Rinku, who joined the BJP from AAP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former Congress leader Gejja Ram Valmiki, and former SAD leaders Ravi Karan Singh Kahlon and Ranjit Singh Gill. Among the 12 state secretaries are former MLAs Manjit Singh Manna and Mangat Rai Bansal, who are among five leaders inducted from other parties. The BJP also replaced six district presidents.
Veteran BJP leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal resigned from the party after more than three decades of association. In his resignation letter addressed to BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Grewal said he had been associated with the party since 1992 but that it was no longer the organisation he had joined. He alleged that committed workers across Punjab felt neglected, unheard and disheartened, and that ideological commitment and sacrifice were steadily losing their place within the organisation.
Describing his resignation as a "principled protest", Grewal said the party could not grow stronger by ignoring ideological workers while allowing favouritism and frustration to flourish.
Party spokesperson Chetan Mohan Joshi also resigned from the BJP's primary membership, saying the time had come to choose self-respect.
The BJP also replaced newly appointed Hoshiarpur Urban district president Satish Bawa with Nitin Gupta, popularly known as Nannu. Bawa is considered close to former minister Tikshan Sud, while Nannu is seen as a supporter of former Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla.
Former Punjab cabinet minister Tikshan Sud openly rebelled against the party leadership, with several district office-bearers in Hoshiarpur resigning from their organisational posts. He blamed Punjab BJP general secretary (Organisation) Manthri Srinivasulu for the resignations.
"Those who know nothing about the state's affairs are taking decisions, and his authoritarian style is harming the party. I have never seen such a reckless decision from the party high command. If loyal workers continue to be ignored, it will not bode well for the party," Sud said.
Bawa said he had given everything to the party but now felt humiliated and could no longer face either himself or his workers. Hoshiarpur Rural district president Yogesh Sapra was also replaced by Sanjiv Manhas, while the district presidents of Sangrur, Muktsar, Faridkot and Khanna were also changed.
Sud announced that he and his supporters were resigning from all organisational posts in protest while retaining their primary membership of the BJP. A list of 111 office-bearers and workers who stepped down from organisational responsibilities was also released.
The unease has intensified after six district BJP presidents were replaced over the past fortnight. While the party has described the exercise as a routine organisational restructuring, several leaders privately view it as arbitrary and reflective of excessive centralisation.
Both veteran leaders and recent entrants are reportedly unhappy with the functioning of the party's organisational leadership, maintaining that key decisions are being taken without adequate consultation.
Both the current Punjab BJP president, Dhillon, and his predecessor, Sunil Jakhar, joined the BJP from the Congress before being elevated to head the state unit.
Since ending its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in 2020, the party has aggressively expanded by inducting leaders from the Congress, Akali Dal and other parties to build a broader social and political base.