Alliance, if any, should be from position of strength: Sunil Jakhar, Punjab BJP President

Alliance, if any, should be from position of strength: Sunil Jakhar, Punjab BJP President

New Delhi: The newly appointed Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday said his aim would be to expand the party in all 13 Lok Sabha and 117 Assembly seats, while noting that realignment with the Shiromani Akali Dal, “if any”, should be from a position of strength. Our focus will be to build BJP as the sole option available to people as recognised Opposition has collapsed. People are disgruntled and want someone to raise their voice. We will fill that void.

In his first interview since anointment, Jakhar, a former Congress MP, said BJP’s reach in Punjab had traditionally been limited to 23 Assembly seats under the old alliance with the SAD, but the party could now turn challenges into possibilities.

“Our focus will be to build the BJP as the sole option available to people because the recognised Opposition has collapsed. People are disgruntled and want someone to raise their voice. We will fill that void,” said Jakhar, adding once the BJP “wins people’s trust, seats will follow”.

On allying with the SAD, which had quit the NDA in 2020 over farm laws, Jakhar said: “My task is to expand the BJP from three to 13 LS seats and 23 to 117 Assembly seats. Since there is a talk (of realignment) going on among people… my idea is whenever such a decision is taken, it should be done from a position of strength, which will come only if we have a presence on the ground.”

Jakhar said he would seek the feedback of BJP workers and people of Punjab on whether the idea (of realignment) was acceptable to them. “Finally, the high command will see if they want any national-level arrangement to revive the NDA,” Jakhar told The Tribune after a thanksgiving meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda here. The former Gurdaspur MP ruled himself out of the 2024 Lok Sabha contest, saying “party post will take all his time”.