Among the new inductees, Prof Onkar Singh’s entry has drawn particular attention
16 January, 2026 – Chandigarh : In a political development ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, four prominent leaders from different political backgrounds joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, signaling the party’s intensified push to expand its footprint in the state.
The inductions took place at the BJP’s state office in Sector 37, Chandigarh, in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and senior leader Ashwani Sharma.
Those who joined the BJP include former Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh Brar, Prof Onkar Singh, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Charanjit Singh Brar, who recently resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjiti). The move is being seen as a major political setback for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as regional outfits in the state.
Welcoming the new entrants, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said the leaders had joined the BJP with Punjab’s welfare in mind. He alleged that the state was witnessing an atmosphere of fear, affecting both industrialists and the common public.
“People in Punjab are looking towards the BJP as the only party that can protect them and restore confidence,” Saini said, adding that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the party would work to strengthen governance in the state.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the BJP “parivaar” was continuously growing and asserted that the party would form the government in Punjab in 2027. He also accused the AAP-led government of running the state without effective governance and announced that BJP leaders and workers would gherao Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence later in the day to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation.
Among the new inductees, Prof Onkar Singh’s entry has drawn particular attention. A former close aide of CM Mann and politically active in the Dhuri Assembly constituency, he is considered to have strong grassroots connect. Political observers believe the BJP may consider fielding him from Dhuri or Lambi in the 2027 elections.
Jagmeet Singh Brar, who spent 35 years in the Congress, later led the Punjab Trinamool Congress briefly, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in 2019, and contested the 2022 Assembly polls from Maur, brings with him long political experience. With these high-profile inductions, the BJP appears poised to sharpen its strategy in Punjab as the 2027 elections draw closer.
The Tribune