Among the probable Chief Ministerial faces ahead of the 2027 Punjab elections, Sunil Kumar Jakhar is increasingly seen as a key leader for the BJP in the state. Currently the Punjab BJP president and a former Congress heavyweight, Jakhar brings administrative experience, sharp political articulation, and cross-party credibility. However, in Punjab’s identity-sensitive politics, his non-Sikh background has been a political constraint he faced even during his Congress days. At the same time, his consistent pitch for a possible BJP–Akali Dal understanding reflects the party’s recognition of its current ground limitations. The larger question is whether Jakhar can overcome structural and identity hurdles to emerge as a standalone CM face or whether his leadership role ultimately fits better within a broader alliance framework ?
2027 के पंजाब विधानसभा चुनावों से पहले संभावित मुख्यमंत्री चेहरों में सुनील कुमार जाखड़ भाजपा के प्रमुख नेताओं में गिने जा रहे हैं। वर्तमान में पंजाब भाजपा अध्यक्ष और पूर्व कांग्रेस के वरिष्ठ नेता रहे जाखड़ के पास प्रशासनिक अनुभव, मजबूत राजनीतिक समझ और विभिन्न दलों में काम करने का अनुभव है। हालांकि पंजाब की पहचान-आधारित राजनीति में उनका गैर-सिख होना एक ऐसी चुनौती रही है, जिसका सामना उन्हें कांग्रेस के समय भी करना पड़ा था। वहीं, भाजपा–अकाली दल समझौते की उनकी लगातार पैरवी यह भी दिखाती है कि पार्टी अपनी ज़मीनी सीमाओं को समझते हुए राजनीतिक विकल्प खुले रखना चाहती है। ऐसे में बड़ा सवाल यह है कि क्या जाखड़ इन संरचनात्मक और पहचान संबंधी बाधाओं को पार कर एक स्वतंत्र मुख्यमंत्री चेहरा बन सकते हैं या उनकी भूमिका किसी व्यापक गठबंधन ढांचे में ही ज्यादा व्यावहारिक रहेगी ?
As the BJP looks to build a credible leadership line-up for the 2027 Punjab elections, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu is increasingly being projected as one of its key faces. A former Congress MP who crossed over to the BJP and quickly rose to the Union Cabinet, Bittu is now among the party’s most aggressive voices in the state. In a political landscape where the BJP has long struggled with the perception of lacking a strong Sikh face, his elevation also appears to be an attempt to fix that gap. But in Punjab’s politics, where both identity and grassroot trust matters, the question is whether a fast-track rise and party switch can turn him into a durable state leader or whether the jury is still out on his long-term acceptability ?
