Sunil Kumar Jakhar
Sunil Kumar Jakhar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Punjab | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2023 - | |
| Preceded by | Ashwini Sharma |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 15 December 2017 – 23 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Vinod Khanna |
| Succeeded by | Sunny Deol |
| Constituency | Gurdaspur |
| President Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee | |
| In office 4 May 2017 – 18 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Amarinder Singh |
| Succeeded by | Navjot Singh Sidhu |
| Leader of the opposition in Punjab Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 14 March 2012 – 11 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Rajinder Kaur Bhattal |
| Succeeded by | Charanjit Singh Channi |
| Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2002–2017 | |
| Preceded by | Ram Kumar Goyal |
| Succeeded by | Arun Narang |
| Constituency | Abohar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 February 1954 (age 70) Panjkosi, Punjab, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1990 – 2022) |
| Spouse | Silvia Jakhar |
| Relations | Sandeep Jakhar (nephew) |
| Parent | Balram Jakhar |
| Residence(s) | Panjkosi, Punjab, India |
| Alma mater | Government College, Chandigarh (BA) Kurukshetra University (MBA) |
Sunil Kumar Jakhar (born 9 February 1954) is an Indian politician and president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Punjab unit since 4th July 2023.[1] Jakhar, hailing from an established political family, is noted politically for his clean image and bluntness.[2][3][4] Elected consecutively three times from Abohar Assembly constituency (2002-2017), he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012 to 2015.[5] Jakhar was a Member of Parliament from the Gurdaspur constituency from 2017 to 2019.[6]
In his long politcal career, Jakhar has served in various offices and posts. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) for five decades until 2022. Previously, Jakhar was the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 2017 to 2021. Following the ouster of Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister of Punjab in 2021, Jakhar was a front runner to replace him as Chief Minister; however, the INC leadership did not select him for the office.[7] In May 2022, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that he wanted to support "nationalism, unity and brotherhood in Punjab".[8] Jakhar is the only Punjab politician to have lead the state units of both INC and BJP.[9]
Early life and background
Jakhar was born on 9th February 1954 in Panjkosi village of Fazilka district in Punjab and his family belongs to Punjabi Hindu Jat community.[2] Hailing from a political family, several of Jakhar’s family members have been involved in politics. His father was Balram Jakhar, a prominent Indian politician of the Congress party, who served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and founded the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, a farmers' organization. Jakhar is the youngest of his father's three sons. Jakhar's eldest brother, Sajjan Kumar Jakhar served as a minister in the Beant Singh's Punjab government (1992-1995). His other brother, Surinder Jakhar, served as chairman IFFCO for four terms before his accidental death in 2011.[10] Jakhar’s nephew, Sandeep Jakhar, the son of his brother Surinder, is also a politician.[11]
Sunil Jakhar obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the Government College, Chandigarh; and did his post graduate Masters of Business Administration program from Kurukshetra University.[12]
Political career
According to some political analysts, Sunil Jakhar’s strengths are related to his ‘clean-image’, articulate approach, and polite attitude.[2]
Indian National Congress
Jakhar began his career as a member of the Indian National Congress (INC). first became a member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Abohar Assembly constituency in 2002.[5] In 2007 and 2012, he was re-elected from Abohar.[5] He became a Member of Parliament after winning a by-election in Gurdaspur.[5] Jakhar served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012 to 2015 and as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) from 2017 to 2021.[13][14]
In 2021, after the ouster of Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister of Punjab by the INC's leadership, Jakhar was a frontrunner to replace Singh as Chief Minister.[15] However, Jakhar was opposed by Ambika Soni, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the INC, who suggested that the INC should choose a Sikh for the position of Chief Minister.[16] In 2022, Jakhar stated that he is quitting from electoral politics; however, he will remain involved in party politics.[17]
In 2022, Jakhar left the INC on 14 May, days after receiving a notice from the Congress leadership. Earlier in 2022, the Congress leadership removed Jakhar from all party positions after he criticised former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, referring to him as a liability after the PPCC lost the Punjab Legislative Assembly Election in 2022.[17] The day Jakhar left the INC, he criticised the INC's leadership, the INC's leadership for supporting certain politicians in the party, the functioning of the INC and the party's ideology.[18]
Bharatiya Janata Party
He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 19 May 2022 in Delhi. On July 4, 2023, Jakhar was Appointed the president of BJP Punjab, which made him the only Punjab politician to have headed the state units of both the BJP and the INC.[1][9] Jakhar campaigned during the 2024 Indian General Elections.[19] In September 2024, it was reported that Jakhar has resigned as the President of BJP Punjab, due to differences and clashes with other BJP Punjab leaders and their working style.[20] Later in the same month, BJP Punjab stated that the report on Jakhar's resignation is baseless.[21] In November 2024, it was reported that Jakhar had resigned from the presidency and that BJP Punjab was having internal issues due to it.[22] He also did not campaign during the November by-polls taking place in Punjab.[22][23] Jakhar stated that he had submitted his resignation and it was the BJP's central leadership that would make a decision on it.[24] In December 2024, Jakhar stated that his reasons for resigning were due to the BJP's perfomance in the 2024 General Elections in Punjab and that he had actually asked to resign before the elections but did not due to the upcoming elections.[25]
Controversy
On 7 January 2017, Jakhar sent a complaint to the Punjab chief election officer alleging that local Shiromani Akali Dal leader Shivlal Doda and his nephew Waris / others used seven different mobile numbers while in a Fazilka prison.[26]
Personal life
Jakhar is married to Silvia Jakhar, a citizen of Switzerland and she is based in Delhi.[27] Silvia is reported to remain away from Jakhar's political career.[28]
References
- ^ a b "Sunil Jakhar, BJP's Punjab plan lynchpin and chief: Seasoned Jat leader, ex-state Cong head". Navjeevan Goyal. Indian Express. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Krishnan, Revathi (22 September 2021). "Sunil Jakhar, Punjab leader from political dynasty that doesn't come up in everyday conversation". The Print. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Tandon, Aditi (3 October 2024). "Change Punjab approach: Jakhar to Modi". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ "Ex-Congress Leaders Jaiveer Shergill, Amarinder Singh And Sunil Jakhar Given Key BJP Titles: Who Are They?". Outlook. 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Sehgal, Manjeet (19 May 2022). "Ex-Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar joins BJP: A timeline of his political journey". India Today. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Congress's Sunil Jakhar wins Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll by huge margin". Vibhor Mohan. Times of India. 15 October 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "'Ghost of religion': Sunil Jakhar has a warning for Congress in Punjab". Hindustan Times. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Days after quitting Congress, Sunil Jakhar joins BJP". Times of India. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ a b Singh, I.P. (4 October 2024). "Is Sunil Jakhar becoming an enigma for the BJP?". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Service, Tribune News. "Sandeep fourth Jakhar to enter election arena". Tribuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "MLA Sandeep Jakhar keeps family tradition alive, joins queue to cast vote at Panjkosi village". The Tribune. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Sunil Jakhar is a big Hindu face of the politics of Punjab, father was the Governor along with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha". NCRNews. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Kaur Tur, Jatinder (20 February 2022). "In Punjab, all major fronts other than Congress are surrogates of BJP: Sunil Jakhar". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Gopal, Navjeevan (5 July 2023). "Sunil Jakhar, BJP's Punjab plan lynchpin and chief: Seasoned Jat leader, ex-state Cong head". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Press Trust of India (14 March 2022). "Congress infighting: Jakhar slams Channi over Punjab poll results". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Vasdev, Kanchan (21 September 2021). "Sunil Jakhar takes on Ambika Soni: Those creating Hindu vs Sikh issue should apologise". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar quits party; Sidhu backs him". The Hindu. 14 May 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Press Trust of India (14 May 2022). "'Goodbye Congress,' says Sunil Jakhar as he shares decision to quit party". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Punjab Government aiding efforts to subvert BJP campaign: Sunil Jakhar". The Hindu. 6 May 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Jagga, Raakhi (27 September 2024). "Sunil Jakhar 'resignation': How ex-Congress leader struggled to find feet in BJP". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ PTI (27 September 2024). "Punjab BJP rejects reports of Sunil Jakhar quitting as state unit chief". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b Gandhi, Taruni (16 November 2024). "Sunil Jakhar's resignation sparks strife within Punjab BJP". The Sunday Guardian Live. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Jagga, Raakhi (30 November 2024). "Curious case of Sunil Jakhar resignation as Punjab BJP totters after poll blows". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Jagga, Raakhi (14 November 2024). "Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar slams move to allocate Chandigarh land to Haryana: 'Appeal to PM Modi, reverse this decision'". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Gopal, Navjeevan (13 December 2024). "'BJP has own approach, but mine is different': Sunil Jakhar". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Punjab Polls 2017: Punjab MLA Sunil Jakhar lodges fresh complaints against SAD's Shiv Lal Doda, nephew - Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017.
- ^ Sharma, Manraj Grewal (19 September 2021). "Explained: Who is Sunil Jakhar, surprise candidate to replace Amarinder Singh as Punjab CM?". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Singh, Khushwant (23 October 2012). "Leader of the Opposition". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2024.