Chandigarh: Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Gurdaspur to BJP candidate and actor Sunny Deol, on Monday stepped down from his post and sent his resignation letter to party president Rahul Gandhi.  The 65-year-old Congress leader joins the list of several other state unit chiefs who have resigned over the party’s rout in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress performed well in Punjab than most other states as it secured 8 of the 13 Lok Sabha seats. The Akali Dal and the BJP won two seats each while the Aam Adami Party (AAP) won one seat.

Actor Sunny Deol, who was contesting his maiden Lok Sabha election, won the seat by over 80,000 votes.

Jakhar's resignation letter

  • In the resignation, Jakhar took moral responsibility for losing his seat and party's not so outstanding performance in the Congress-ruled state.

  • Jakhar said he could not retain his seat wrested by him in 2017 by-elections after the death of BJP lawmaker Vinod Khanna despite the best support given by the Congress President, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

  • "Everyone supported me fully and put in their best for me but I was unable to defend my seat. In such a scenario I cannot continue as state chief. I feet a moral responsibility to quit," said Jakhar.




Ahead of the elections in the state, veteran actor and former BJP lawmaker Dharmendra has said he would not have allowed his Sunny to contest the elections from Gurdaspur had he known who his rival is. "Balram Jakhar was like my brother. Had I known his son Sunil Jakhar was contesting from Gurdaspur, I would have not allowed Sunny (to contest against him)," the 83-year-old told news agency ANI.

"This is his greatness. It is his own view," Jakhar had then said.