CHANDIGARH: Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu resigned from his post after his tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ended in June. His resignation has been accepted, and he is set to focus on the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
It is learnt that, on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu accepted Bittu's resignation with immediate effect. Bittu was a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan and was not re-nominated to the Upper House.
He had been a member of the Union Council of Ministers since 2024 and is likely to focus on the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, which are less than six months away.
"The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri Ravneet Singh from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of India," a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.
While no official reason has been cited for his exit, the move comes amid growing speculation over his possible return to active state politics ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls.
Sources said Bittu has been relieved of his ministerial duties and is likely to be assigned a party role for the 2027 Punjab elections. They said electoral considerations weighed on the BJP and Prime Minister Modi's decision regarding Bittu's case. He hails from a prominent Punjab family and has considerable parliamentary experience in the state.
Confirming that he had submitted his resignation, Bittu said he had already put in his papers when his Rajya Sabha tenure ended.
"I have already expressed my willingness about a couple of months back and had requested that I want to resign from my post. When PM came to Jalandhar recently, then again I had requested him the same and also in the ongoing Parliament session I had not gone, as I have been focusing on Punjab," he said.
Bittu added, "Today also I was in Punjab touring various places."
He said he would work across the state for the forthcoming Assembly polls, adding that he had represented two Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab, covering 18 Assembly segments, and had also contested Assembly elections from Jalalabad and Jalandhar Cantonment.
"Whatever the party gives me the duty to perform I will do accordingly," he said.
Shortly after his resignation was accepted, Bittu thanked President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Minister of State in the Government of India.
"I express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon'ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji and Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the nation as Minister of State in the Government of India. It has been an honour to serve the people of India, especially my beloved Punjab. I remain committed to the ideals of service, nationalism, and the vision of a Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. My journey of public service continues with renewed dedication," Bittu said in a post on X.
Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP in 2024 before unsuccessfully contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan by the BJP for the remainder of the term of a seat vacated by Congress leader K C Venugopal.
Before joining the BJP, Bittu was with the Congress and had been elected twice from Ludhiana and once from Anandpur Sahib to the Lok Sabha. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he contested on a BJP ticket for the first time but lost to Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring by 20,942 votes.
The development comes as the BJP gears up for the Punjab Assembly elections and has ruled out an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, deciding instead to contest the polls independently.
During his visit to Punjab earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi targeted the Shiromani Akali Dal, accusing it of serving its own "selfish interests" and caring "nothing for the people of Punjab."
The BJP is looking to improve its performance in Punjab after winning just two seats in the 2022 Assembly elections.