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 71) 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]
- ^ "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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PrintJakhar1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.