'Totally baseless, false': BJP junks reports of Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar's resignation

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday dismissed reports suggesting that its Punjab state president Sunil Jakhar has resigned from his post before Panchayat elections in the border state. The BJP called these media reports suggesting Jakhar as "totally baseless" speculation. Jakhar's close aide Sanjeev Trikha told newswire PTI that there was nothing like this. 

Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin dismissed these reports and said that Jakhar is leading the party's state unit. These reports also suggested that Jakhar has been absent from important meetings of the state executive, including Thursday's meeting of the party's membership drive. 

On this, Sarin said that it was not important for the state unit chief to attend every meeting. Commenting on the reports of Jakhar's resignation, Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said on X: "Mr @suniljakhar, All the best, where next?"

Some reports also suggested that Jakhar was upset over Ravneet Singh Bittu being appointed as the Union Minister of State despite losing the Lok Sabha elections. Bittu was sent to Rajya Sabha by the BJP from Rajasthan. 

Jakhar was named the Punjab BJP chief in July 2023, replacing BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma. He had joined the BJP in May 2022, shortly after the Congress's defeat in the Punjab assembly election. 

A former member of the Congress, Jakhar was elected as an MLA three times from the Abohar constituency and also served as a Lok Sabha MP representing Gurdaspur. Sunil Jakhar is known for his plain speak and straight forward approach. 

He previously held the position of Punjab Congress president and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly from 2012 to 2016. Jakhar is the son of the late Balram Jakhar, a former Union Minister and Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Elections to more than 13,000 gram panchayats in Punjab will be held on October 15 and votes will be counted on the same day. Filing of nominations will commence on September 27 and last till October 4. 

This year, the BJP did not win any seat in the Lok Sabha elections as well as the by-elections.