Kewal Singh Dhillon on Wednesday, 3 June formally assumed charge as the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President in Chandigarh, invoking the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as the governance blueprint the party intends to pursue ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Marking the occasion, Dhillon installed a portrait of the Sikh emperor at the state headquarters and pledged to deliver a ‘prosperous, harmonious and well-governed Punjab'.

Key developments at the handover

The leadership transition saw a heavyweight turnout, including Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, BJP National Vice-President Saudan Singh, National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, National Secretary Narendra Singh Raina, Parliamentary Board member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, and former state chiefs Sunil Jakhar, Ashwani Sharma, Vijay Sampla and Shwait Malik. Rajya Sabha members Satnam Singh Sandhu and Ashok Mittal were also present.

What Dhillon said

Addressing party workers, Dhillon said, ‘The Punjab of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a Punjab where every farmer was prosperous, every faith was respected and no Punjabi lived under fear. We are committed to creating such a Punjab where every citizen enjoys equality and dignity.' He urged cadres to anchor outreach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' framing and argued that the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had ‘disappointed every section of society'.

The 2027 pitch

Chugh told workers the BJP would, in 2027, offer Punjab ‘a government inspired by the good governance of Maharaja Ranjit Singh', linking the promise to the spirit of ‘Khalsa Raj' and casting the party as the only force capable of freeing the state from ‘drugs, gangsterism and corruption'. He unveiled a new slogan — ‘Na Aapda, Na Kaapda, Punjab Mangda Bhajpa' — and declared that the ‘countdown' for AAP had begun.

Jakhar's subtext on alliances and secularism

Former state chief Jakhar acknowledged that the BJP had once accepted the role of junior ally to the Shiromani Akali Dal to safeguard ‘Hindu-Sikh' unity, framing social harmony as the party's foremost objective ahead of electoral wins. Without naming the Congress, he added, ‘Some people call themselves secular, yet practice politics in the name of religion and caste. They are promoting divisive politics in Punjab, and only the BJP has the remedy for it.'

Why it matters

The Ranjit Singh framing is a deliberate cultural pivot for a party long seen as having a narrow base in Punjab, particularly after its split with the Akali Dal. Notably, this is the BJP's first full-fledged organisational reset in the state since it contested the 2022 Assembly polls independently and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without the SAD. Pathankot legislator Ashwani Sharma said Punjab seeks freedom from ‘drugs, gangsterism, corruption and the politics of unfulfilled promises', while Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu cautioned against turning issues into ‘unnecessary controversies' and flagged the presence of Preneet Kaur and Jai Inder Kaur on the dais.

What's next

Dhillon's immediate task is organisational expansion across rural Punjab, where the BJP has historically been weak, and crafting a Sikh-inclusive narrative that can compete with both AAP and a reviving Congress. The Ranjit Singh symbolism will be tested against on-ground delivery as the party builds towards 2027.