'Alliance or go solo': Punjab biggest challenge for new BJP national president

Punjab is expected to remain one of the biggest challenges for the BJP’s new national president, Nitin Nabin (45), though sweeping changes in the state unit are unlikely before the 2027 Assembly elections.

Party sources say the leadership is weighing whether to continue with the current experienced team or introduce younger faces, even as the debate over reviving an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) resurfaces.

A five-term MLA from Bihar and the youngest-ever BJP national president, Nabin is keen to promote fresh talent across states.

However, insiders say the Punjab unit favours stability, given the party’s limited electoral success in the state in recent years.

Winning Punjab remains a major political frontier for the BJP, which has struggled to make an independent impact without allies.

State president Sunil Jakhar and working president Ashwani Sharma are expected to continue at the helm. Jakhar, a seasoned politician, had earlier offered to step down, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah persuaded him to stay on, underlining his importance to the party’s Punjab strategy.

Jakhar, Sharma and other Punjab leaders were present in New Delhi on Tuesday, when Nabin was formally elected and sworn in as the party’s national president. The event was attended by senior BJP leaders, including Modi, Shah, Rajnath Singh and outgoing president JP Nadda.

The question of an alliance with the SAD has exposed sharp divisions within the Punjab BJP. Former Congress chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who later joined the BJP, has strongly advocated a tie-up, arguing that it could help consolidate rural Sikh votes.

In contrast, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu has opposed any rapprochement, warning it could alienate urban and Hindu voters who shifted towards the BJP after the SAD split.

Working president Ashwani Sharma and several traditional BJP leaders also favour contesting elections independently, arguing that the party must build its own base in Punjab rather than rely on allies. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) unit in the state, led by Mantri Srinivaslu, has echoed this sentiment, signalling its opposition to any alliance with the Akalis.

The BJP faces a formidable challenge in Punjab, where it remains largely confined to urban pockets, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) currently holds power in the state.