CHANDIGARH: Has Sunil Jakhar resigned as the BJP’s Punjab president? Hours after the media reports suggested the possible resignation of Jakhar, the BJP on Friday issued a statement, stating that Jakhar is leading the party in the state and dismissing as “totally baseless” the speculation that he had resigned from his post.
Taking to ‘X’, the BJP Punjab unit refuted the claims, urging the public not to believe or spread false news. “All news of Mr Sunil Jakhar’s resignation is false and merely rumours. Please do not spread false information,” the statement read.
If sources are to be believed, Jakhar has been upset for some time over the state of affairs and has already apprised the top leadership about his unwillingness to work as the state party president.
The 70-year-old Jakhar was not responding to calls, but his close aide Sanjeev Trikha said that there is nothing like this. Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin, calling these speculations as “totally baseless and false”, said Jakhar is leading the party’s state unit.
On Jakhar staying away from Thursday’s meet on membership drive, Sarin said, “It is not necessary for the president to be present at every meeting.”
Sources said Jakhar has not attended any meeting of the state unit since July 10. “Jakhar was not involved in the ongoing membership drive of the state unit as he was not comfortable with certain old-time party leaders and often had differences of opinion with them on policies and strategy,” a BJP leader said.
After the Jalandhar bye-election, Jakhar had reportedly informed the high command that he did not want to continue as the state president. He has just returned from abroad after a month-long visit.
Jakhar was appointed as the Punjab BJP chief in July last year and he succeeded BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma. He had joined BJP in May 2022, three months after the Congress lost the Punjab assembly polls. A former Punjab Congress president, Jakhar served as MLA thrice from Abohar and also as Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur. He had reamined Punjab Congress chief and LoP in the Punjab assembly from 2012 to 2016.
On reports of Jakhar’s resignation, Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring wote on ‘X’, “Mr @sunilkjakhar, All the best, where next?”
The Congress’s Punjab unit said, “Your (BJP Punjab) president could have said he did not resign or that everything is fine, but no. They have turned off their phone and disappeared.”