Rejig Triggers Unease In Punjab BJP, Old Guard Pushes Back

The BJP's much-publicised organisational overhaul in Punjab appears to have hit turbulence.

Within minutes of the party announcing its new team on August 2, veteran BJP leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal quit the party after over three decades of association. Less than 24 hours later, former Punjab minister Tikshan Sood openly rebelled against the leadership, with several district office-bearers in Hoshiarpur resigning from their organisational posts.

The back-to-back developments have taken some sheen off the BJP's organisational rejig, which was aimed at strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

While both incidents stem from different issues, they underscore a common grievance increasingly being voiced within the Punjab BJP -- long-serving party workers believe they are being sidelined. Another gripe is that the leadership places greater emphasis on accommodating political entrants from rival parties.

In his resignation letter addressed to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Grewal, who said he had been associated with the BJP since 1992, wrote that the party was no longer the organisation he had joined over three decades ago. He alleged that committed workers across Punjab felt "neglected, unheard and disheartened" and that ideological commitment and sacrifice were steadily losing their place within the organisation.

The discontent became more visible on Sunday when Tikshan Sood led a virtual rebellion in Hoshiarpur. The crisis erupted after the party replaced Satish Bawa, considered close to Sood, as district president with Nitin Gupta Nannu, who is seen as being close to former Union minister Vijay Sampla.

In protest, Sood and several district office-bearers resigned from their organisational posts, accusing the leadership of ignoring grassroots workers and taking decisions without consulting senior local leaders.

Since ending its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in 2020, the party has aggressively expanded by inducting leaders from the Congress, Akali Dal and other parties to build a broader social and political base.

The strategy has also reshaped the party's leadership. Both the current Punjab BJP president, Kewal Singh Dhillon, and his predecessor, Sunil Jakhar, joined the BJP from the Congress before being elevated to head the state unit.

While their appointments were aimed at expanding the party's electoral appeal, they also reinforced a perception among sections of the old cadre that newcomers were being rewarded with top positions while loyal workers remained on the sidelines.

For the BJP, the challenge is not merely about two isolated episodes of dissent but about managing competing expectations within an organisation that is undergoing rapid political expansion.

The party's traditional cadre, which sustained it through decades of limited electoral success in Punjab, now finds itself sharing space with influential entrants expected to help the BJP grow into a formidable force in the state.

With the 2027 Assembly elections on the horizon, the organisational reshuffle was intended to project unity and preparedness. Instead, the immediate resignations and open rebellion have highlighted the strains that accompany the BJP's expansion strategy. Whether the leadership can contain the resentment among its old guard while continuing to attract influential political entrants could prove crucial to the party's ambitions in Punjab.