New Delhi, May 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News):
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday appointed senior Punjab Leader Kewal Singh Dhillon as the new president of the party’s Punjab unit, replacing Sunil Kumar Jakhar.
The appointment was announced through official orders issued by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, stating that Dhillon’s appointment would come into effect immediately.
The development marks a significant organisational reshuffle within the Punjab BJP ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. With Dhillon’s elevation, Sunil Jakhar effectively ceases to be the state party chief. Jakhar had reportedly submitted his resignation from the post in September 2024 to then BJP national president J. P. Nadda, though the resignation was neither formally accepted nor rejected at the time.
Interestingly, both Dhillon and Jakhar had originally belonged to the Congress party before joining the BJP following Congress’s poor performance in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Kewal Singh Dhillon, a veteran politician from Barnala and considered close to former Chief Minister and now senior BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh, joined the BJP in June 2022 along with several other former Congress leaders, including Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Sunder Sham Arora.
Born on May 16, 1950, in Tallewal village of Barnala district, Dhillon received his early education in Barnala and remained actively associated with Punjab politics for decades. During his stint in the Congress party, he served as Senior Vice-President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
Dhillon represented the Barnala Assembly constituency as an MLA from 2012 to 2017. He later contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Sangrur but was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party leader Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. Dhillon had also lost the 2017 Assembly election from Barnala to Meet Hayer.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether senior BJP leader Ashwani Sharma will continue as the working president of the Punjab BJP unit following the latest organisational changes.
The appointment of Dhillon is being seen as BJP’s attempt to strengthen its political base in Punjab by banking on experienced leaders with strong regional and agrarian outreach.
FOLLOW NOW
