CM Mann Takes Swipe as BJP Appoints Kewal Singh Dhillon Punjab Chief Ahead of 2027 Polls

Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Kewal Singh Dhillon as the new Punjab unit president ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The move is being seen as a strategic decision by the party to strengthen its Sikh leadership in the state before the upcoming polls. Dhillon had joined the BJP four years ago after leaving the Congress party. With his appointment, he is expected to become the BJP’s prominent Sikh face in Punjab politics. Reacting to the development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a jibe at the BJP leadership through a post on X (formerly Twitter). Mann wrote that Dhillon, who had lost elections from Barnala in 2017-2019 and 2024 while contesting on a Congress ticket, has now been made BJP president. He sarcastically congratulated Dhillon and expressed “sympathies” for former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar. The Punjab CM further mocked senior BJP leaders, saying he hoped leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu, Manpreet Singh Badal, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa, Tarun Chugh and Ashwani Sharma get the strength to bear the “insult.”