Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday, 28 May 2026 took a sharp political dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party over its reported appointment of Kewal Dhillon as the party's Punjab unit president, mocking the choice by highlighting Dhillon's repeated electoral defeats in Barnala at the hands of voters in 2017, 2019, and 2024.

In a Punjabi-language post on X, Mann wrote: '2017, 2019 ਅਤੇ 2024 ਵਿੱਚ ਬਰਨਾਲਾ ਦੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਹਰਾਏ ਹੋਏ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੇ ਭਾਜਪਾਈ ਨੇਤਾ' — translating to: 'Congratulations to Kewal Dhillon ji, the Congress-turned-BJP leader defeated by the people of Barnala in 2017, 2019, and 2024, on becoming BJP president.' He added a pointed aside: 'Heartfelt sympathy with Sunil Jakhar ji,' before invoking a prayer that God grant Ravneet Bittu, Manpreet Badal, Fateh Jung Bajwa, Tarun Chugh, Ashwani Sharma, and others the strength to endure this 'humiliation.'

Context

The post is a direct response to a reported organisational reshuffle within Punjab BJP, in which Kewal Dhillon — a politician from the Barnala assembly constituency who has contested elections on a Congress ticket and later aligned with BJP — was elevated to the post of state unit president. Mann's framing of Dhillon as a 'Congress-turned-BJP leader' is a recurring AAP line of attack, used to portray the opposition as a revolving door of defectors.

The reference to Sunil Jakhar, the outgoing or bypassed senior BJP figure, signals an attempt to drive a wedge within BJP ranks by expressing mock 'sympathy' for those sidelined in the reshuffle.

Policy Backdrop

AAP swept to power in Punjab in the March 2022 assembly elections, ending a decade-long alternation between Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal–BJP alliance. Since then, Bhagwant Mann has governed the state while the opposition — both Congress and BJP — have struggled with internal coherence and frequent defections.

Barnala constituency has been a consistent battleground, with Dhillon contesting and losing there across multiple election cycles, a record Mann now uses as a political cudgel. The broader Punjab BJP has seen several high-profile crossovers, including Manpreet Singh Badal, former state finance minister who moved from Congress to BJP, and Ravneet Singh Bittu, a sitting BJP MP.

Stakeholders and Impact

Mann's post names six BJP figures — Ravneet Bittu, Manpreet Badal, Fateh Jung Bajwa, Tarun Chugh, Ashwani Sharma, and Jakhar — effectively casting the entire state BJP leadership as either humiliated or sidelined. The language of 'enduring humiliation' (ਜਿੱਲਤ ਝੱਲਣ ਦਾ ਬਲ) is deliberately pointed, aimed at demoralising the opposition's rank and file ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.

For Barnala voters, the post is an implicit tribute — Mann credits them with having rejected Dhillon three times, framing the constituency as a stronghold of anti-BJP sentiment.

What's Next

With the 2027 Punjab assembly elections now firmly on the horizon, organisational appointments within both BJP and Congress will be scrutinised for their electoral calculus. BJP's response to Mann's taunt — and whether the named leaders publicly close ranks around Dhillon — will be an early indicator of the party's unity in the state. AAP, for its part, is likely to continue amplifying any signs of discord within the opposition as it seeks a second consecutive term in Chandigarh.