Punjab BJP chief would be from Fazilka; high command to finalise between a turncoat leader and a core party leader
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ July 3,2023
With the onset of 2024 parliamentary elections, another big revamp is expected in Punjab’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) anytime soon.
The frontrunners are turncoat leader and former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar and saffron party leader Surjit Jayani.
Both Jakhar and Jayani belong to Fazilka district of Punjab.
As per available information, Capt Amarinder Singh is putting his weight behind his former congress party colleague Sunil Jakhar.
Jakhar is eyeing for Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections. But, saffron party seems to be interested in fielding the incumbent state president Ashwani Sharma, who belongs to Pathankot, a part of Gurdaspur Lok sabha seat. A former Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Jakhar, 68, has served twice as the MLA of Abohar assembly constituency.
Jakhar, who was one of the senior-most leaders of Punjab Congress, had joined the saffron party in May 2022 in presence of its national party president JP Nadda. He remained congress party Punjab president along with Capt Amarinder Singh till 2021. Later the congress party announced Navjot Singh Sidhu as the state congress chief in 2021.
On the other hand, Surjit Jyani comes from a Hindu Jat family and is a core BJP party leader. He first became a member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Fazilka in 1997. In 2007 and 2012, he was re-elected from Fazilka. As per sources Jayani is close to union defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Between Jakhar and Jayani, Jahkar has more experience in handling the party affairs. The 68-year-old Jakhar not only remained PPCC president but has also served as the leader of opposition in Punjab assembly between 2012-2016. He became PPCC chief in 2017 and was made the head of the Campaign Committee for 2022 polls.
Punjab BJP chief would be from Fazilka; high command to finalise between a turncoat leader and a core party leader. As per reports, state BJP chief Ashwani Sharma has also resigned from the post, paving way for the new chief.
