On home turf Abohar, Sunil Jakhar's family has won 8 times

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, May 19

Former PCC president Sunil Jakhar joining the BJP became the talk of his hometown today. Besides social media users, people in marketplaces were seen discussing the development.

Ever since Bal Ram Jakhar won the Abohar seat in 1972, members of the family have won eight times as Congress nominees from here.

Bal Ram registered victory in 1977 as well, following which his eldest son Sajjan Kumar Jakhar won the seat in 1980 and 1992. His youngest son Sunil Jakhar won the polls in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Sandeep Jakhar, son of IFFCO ex-chief Surinder Kumar Jakhar, won despite the AAP tsunami this time.

Jakhar, contested the LS poll from the Ferozepur seat in 2014, but in the report sent to the AICC, it was alleged at least five Congress MLAs had then opposed him and contributed to the defeat. Of these, two ex-MLAs joined the SAD and another the BJP.

In November 2019, Jakhar was seated next to PM Modi while partaking of “langar” at the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor. Both discussed several issues and Modi was heard telling him, “whenever you come to Delhi, have a meeting with me”.

During the ouster of ex-CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Jakhar despite “having the support of 42 MLAs” missed out on becoming the CM. He felt he was singled out owing to him being a “Hindu”, which proved to be the last straw.