Kewal Dhillon, former Barnala MLA, is new Punjab BJP chief

Former Barnala MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon, a close confidante of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, was on Thursday named the new president of the Punjab BJP.

The Tribune had first broken the story that Dhillon’s name had been finalised and the announcement was expected soon.

Dhillon, 75, was born in Tallewal village in Barnala district. He served as MLA from Barnala from 2007 to 2017 before being defeated by AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

He joined the BJP in June 2022 along with several other Congress leaders who switched sides after the party’s rout in the Punjab Assembly polls. A Jat Sikh leader, he was subsequently appointed vice-president of the Punjab BJP unit.

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Shortly after being named as the party's Punjab unit president, Kewal Singh Dhillon said that the saffron party will form the government in the state after the 2027 Assembly polls.

Thanking the party leadership for entrusting him with a big responsibility, Dhillon said his first target is to form a BJP government in Punjab.

Hitting out at the AAP government in Punjab led by Bhagwant Mann, Dhillon claimed that it did not fullfil its poll promises made to the people of the state where a “goonda raj” is prevailing.

“Once we form the government in Punjab, we will make it the No. 1 state in all areas. After West Bengal, the lotus will now bloom in Punjab too,” he said.

Dhillon’s long association with Capt Amarinder — who himself crossed over to the BJP after floating the Punjab Lok Congress — gives him access to the former Chief Minister’s support base in Malwa.

The party is also banking on his organisational experience from his Congress years to help rebuild cadre networks ahead of 2027 Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the BJP also announced organisational appointments in other states, naming Archana Gupta as president of the Haryana BJP unit, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra as Delhi BJP chief and Abhishek Debroy as president of the Tripura BJP unit.