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Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar
There has been no official confirmation on the matter yet, and his assistant, Sanjeev Trika, has denied the rumours. He stated that Jakhar has been busy and less active recently. According to the report, Jakhar has expressed his reluctance to continue as the party’s state chief, citing his inability to work freely in Punjab.
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Jakhar’s political activity in Punjab has notably decreased since the Lok Sabha elections in June. His last public appearance was on September 3 at a BJP state meeting in Chandigarh.
The BJP did not win any of the 13 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, but its vote share doubled to 18.56 per cent, compared to 9.63 per cent in 2019. This marked the BJP’s highest-ever vote share in Punjab. Commenting on the party’s performance, Jakhar had said at the time: “We have done better, but better is not enough…”
Jakhar also voiced concerns over the BJP losing its traditional Lok Sabha seats of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Hoshiarpur.
A former Congress veteran, Jakhar left the party to join the BJP in 2022 and was appointed state chief on July 4, 2023.
There were reports in August suggesting that the BJP was considering replacing Jakhar. According to a Hindustan Times report, although the party performed well under Jakhar’s leadership, he has “not been able to take” senior leadership along.
In the Punjab Lok Sabha polls, the Congress won seven seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured three and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) one. Two seats were clinched by independent candidates.
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First Published: Sep 27 2024 | 11:00 AM IST
