BJP appoints Kewal Singh Dhillon as Punjab chief
Shedding its Hindu-centric image, the BJP on Thursday appointed a Jat Sikh leader—Kewal Singh Dhillon—as the party’s Punjab president for the first time, with an eye on the 2027 assembly elections.
Dhillon, a former MLA from Barnala, is an industrialist-cum-politician credited with bringing Pepsi to Punjab during the years of terrorism. He also played a key role in establishing Barnala as a district.
Punjab remains the party’s last major stronghold, dominated by Sikhs, and where the BJP has long struggled to gain power.
Dhillon replaces Sunil Jakhar, who has not yet been given a new role. However, party sources said Jakhar played a key role in the 2027 elections and is likely to continue to play a key role in the party’s Punjab campaign.
Sources said Ravneet Singh Bittu, another strong contender for the post, is likely to be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha and retain his position as Minister of State for Railways in the Union Cabinet.
Following his appointment, Dhillon told The Tribune that his priority is the progress of Punjab, especially its farmers. He said, “The BJP will ensure that the state’s farmers receive MSP on all crops listed by the Centre. If Haryana can provide MSP on 21 crops, why not Punjab?”
He said, “Punjab will have the ‘lotus flower’ in 2027. After West Bengal, it is time for change in Punjab. We will have a BJP government.”
On the unique change of appointing a Sikh face as the state BJP president, he said, “Punjabis do not differentiate between religions. They have always lived together.”
Party insiders say Dhillon’s appointment is a deliberate political signal. He hails from Sangrur district, the home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. By choosing a Jat Sikh leader with deep roots in Malwa and a long political career in the Congress, the BJP is attempting to project a larger social face in a state where it has struggled to break the perception of being limited to urban Hindu voters. After the breakdown of the alliance with the SAD, the party has struggled to establish an independent political identity in Punjab.
Born in Tallewal village in Barnala district, Dhillon entered politics through the Congress and won the Barnala assembly seat in 2007, retaining it in 2012. He was close to former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for years, although Captain Amarinder distanced himself from the appointment on Thursday. “I did not recommend him to anyone,” Captain Amarinder told The Tribune. “He has not met me since I resigned as Chief Minister in September 2021. He is on his own.” In 2019, Congress fielded Dhillon against Bhagwant Mann in the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. He lost but remained politically active. In February 2022, after being expelled from Congress, he joined the BJP. He then contested the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election on a BJP ticket, directly challenging the AAP in Mann’s stronghold, but lost.
When Congress expelled Dhillon, party MP Manish Tewari publicly declared that Dhillon had brought PepsiCo to Punjab “when no one was willing to invest during terrorism.”
However, challenges remain significant. Dhillon will have to maintain a delicate balance across three regions of Punjab – Malwa, Majha, and Doaba – each with distinct political temperaments and leadership aspirations.
Another challenge comes from the people of Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, and Mohali, who belong to the Pudh region and have long desired a distinct political identity. Managing these diverse regional identities while building a unified party structure will be one of his most difficult tests.
Not everyone within the party is happy. Old BJP leaders have quietly expressed their displeasure. One leader said, “First, Sunil Jakhar came from the Congress. Now, another leader who joined the BJP from the Congress has been made the state chief.” He further said that this vacuum arose because traditional leaders remained confined to their own circles and failed to connect with party workers.
