Sunil Kumar Jakhar Explained

Sunil Kumar Jakhar
Birth Date: df=y 9 February 1954
Birth Place:Panjkosi, Punjab, India
Residence:Panjkosi, Punjab, India
Office:President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Punjab
Term Start:4 July 2023
Predecessor:Ashwini Sharma
Office1:Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Constituency1:Gurdaspur
Predecessor1:Vinod Khanna
Successor1:Sunny Deol
Term Start1:15 December 2017
Term End1:23 May 2019
Office2:President Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
Term Start2:April 2017
Term End2:18 July 2021
Predecessor2:Amarinder Singh
Successor2:Navjot Singh Sidhu
Office3:Leader of opposition in Punjab Legislative Assembly
Predecessor3:Rajinder Kaur Bhattal
Successor3:Charanjit Singh Channi
Term Start3:14 March 2012
Term End3:11 December 2015
Office4:Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly
Constituency4:Abohar
Predecessor4:Ram Kumar Goyal
Successor4:Arun Narang
Term Start4:2002
Term End4:2017
Party:Bharatiya Janata Party
(2022–present)
Otherparty:Indian National Congress
(1990 – 2022)
Parents:Balram Jakhar

Sunil Kumar Jakhar (born 9 February 1954) is an Indian politician and president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Punjab unit since 4th July 2023.[1] Previously, Jakhar was the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 2017 to 2021. Elected consecutively three times from Abohar Assembly constituency (2002-2017), he was a Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012 to 2017. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) for five decades until 2022. In May 2022, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that he wanted to support "nationalism, unity and brotherhood in Punjab".[2] Earlier, Jakhar was elected as a Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur constituency to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament in a by-election in 2017.[3]

Early life and background

Jakhar was born on 9th February 1954 in Panjkosi village of Fazilka district in Punjab and his family belongs to Punjabi Hindu Jat community.[4] His father was Balram Jakhar, a prominent Indian politician of the Congress party, who served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and founded the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, a farmers' organization. Sunil Jakhar is the youngest of his father's three sons. Jakhar's eldest brother, Sajjan Kumar Jakhar served as a minister in the Beant Singh's Punjab government (1992-1995). His other brother, Surinder Jakhar, served as chairman IFFCO for four terms before his accidental death in 2011.[5]

Sunil Jakhar obtained a bachelors BA degree from the Government College, Chandigarh; and did his post graduate MBA program from Kurukshetra University.[6]

Political career

Jakhar first became a member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Abohar Assembly constituency in 2002. In 2007 and 2012, he was re-elected from Abohar. He became a member of parliament after winning a by-election in Gurdaspur. He left the Indian National Congress on 14th May, days after receiving a notice from Congress High-Command. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 19 May 2022 in Delhi. On July 4, 2023, Jakhar was made the president of BJP Punjab.

According to some political analysts, Sunil Jakhar’s strengths are related to his ‘clean-image’, articulate approach, and polite attitude.

Controversy

On 7 January 2017, Jakhar sent a complaint to the Punjab chief election officer alleging that local Shiromani Akali Dal leader Shivlal Doda and his nephew Waris / others used seven different mobile numbers while in a Fazilka prison.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sunil Jakhar, BJP’s Punjab plan lynchpin and chief: Seasoned Jat leader, ex-state Cong head . Indian Express . Navjeevan Goyal . 5 July 2023 . 5 July 2023.
  2. Web site: Days after quitting Congress, Sunil Jakhar joins BJP . . 19 May 2020 . 29 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Congress's Sunil Jakhar wins Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll by huge margin . . Vibhor Mohan . 15 October 2017 . 15 October 2017.
  4. Web site: Sunil Jakhar, Punjab leader from political dynasty that doesn't come up in everyday conversation . The Print . 22 September 2021. 29 May 2022.
  5. News: Service . Tribune News . Sandeep fourth Jakhar to enter election arena . 2022-04-26 . Tribuneindia News Service . en.
  6. Web site: Sunil Jakhar is a big Hindu face of the politics of Punjab, father was the Governor along with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha . 2022-01-23. 2022-05-29 . NCRNews . en.
  7. Web site: Punjab Polls 2017: Punjab MLA Sunil Jakhar lodges fresh complaints against SAD's Shiv Lal Doda, nephew - Times of India . timesofindia.indiatimes.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170108053502/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/punjab-mla-sunil-jakhar-lodges-fresh-complaints-against-sads-shiv-lal-doda-nephew/articleshow/56392408.cms . 2017-01-08.