New DelhiJul 8, 2025 19:31 IST
First published on: Jul 8, 2025 at 19:31 IST
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The BJP leadership’s move to appoint Pathankot MLA Ashwani Kumar Sharma as the Punjab unit’s working president has followed calls for “serious introspection” from within the party following its defeat in the June 19 Ludhiana Assembly bypoll.
A senior leader, Sharma had also been the Punjab BJP president earlier. His current appointment was seen in BJP circles as the party’s first step towards “forming an effective front” ahead of the 2027 state Assembly polls.
According to BJP insiders, Sharma’s new role is also being seen as the party’s attempt to “bring order” before it launches an outreach campaign across the state. “The Punjab unit was in dire need of an organisational overhaul. Internal elections will be held soon and a new state president will be elected as per due procedure in the next couple of months,” a senior BJP leader said.
The BJP has been engaged in holding organisational polls in states across the country, which would culminate in the election of its new national president.
A BJP leader said the organisational polls in Punjab would help the party “build an effective organisation to contest the 2027 polls alone” while another leader pointed towards its growing vote share in the state – from just over 5% in the 2017 Assembly polls to over 18% in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections – and the “current political realities” to echo the former’s view.
“The outreach campaign with a special emphasis on farmers is aimed at consolidating the BJP’s vote share in Punjab, spreading its influence in the rural parts of the state. Only time will tell if the 2027 polls will be three-cornered or four-cornered. But the BJP’s objective is to bolster its gains. Whether or not the BJP and SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) come together, we are looking to contest more seats in Punjab,” a party source said.
According to BJP insiders, the ongoing criminal proceedings against Bikram Singh Majithia of the SAD, the BJP’s former ally, may also tilt the BJP’s decision in favour of going alone. Another factor that the BJP seems to be looking to capitalise on is the ongoing tussle between INDIA bloc allies – the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the principal Opposition Congress.
Considered as BJP national president J P Nadda’s choice, Sharma has been associated with the RSS and the BJP since his entry into politics in the late 1990s.
Sharma has been named as the Punjab BJP working president even as the party has yet to take a decision on the resignation of the incumbent state unit chief Sunil Jakhar, who had replaced the former in 2023 soon after switching to the party from the Congress.
Jakhar decided to step down last year reportedly due to internal party differences. Sharma’s fresh appointment indicated that he may replace Jakhar whose resignation is likely to be accepted soon.