Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to strengthen its rural and Sikh outreach in Punjab with the appointment of Keval Singh Dhillon as the party’s new state chief ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Dhillon, an industrialist-turned-politician, is widely known for helping bring Pepsi to Punjab during the militancy years, when investment in the state was considered highly risky. Through the Dhillon Group, he built a major beverages and bottling business that later expanded into hospitality, real estate and other sectors.
Political observers see his appointment as part of the BJP’s larger strategy to make inroads into rural Malwa — Punjab’s most politically influential region — and shed the perception that the party remains confined largely to urban Hindu voters after its split with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
A Jat Sikh face with influence in Malwa, Dhillon had a long political journey in the Indian National Congress before joining the BJP in 2022 amid internal differences within the Congress. He remained close to former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and was considered one of the Congress’ prominent Sikh leaders in the region.
Dhillon represented the Barnala Assembly constituency after winning elections in 2007 and 2012. In 2019, Congress fielded him against Bhagwant Mann from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. Though he lost, he continued to remain active in Malwa politics.
Soon after joining the BJP, Dhillon contested the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll on a BJP ticket, with the party projecting him as a key Sikh face capable of challenging the Aam Aadmi Party in rural Punjab.
With Dhillon now leading the Punjab BJP, the party is expected to sharpen its focus on expanding beyond its traditional urban support base and strengthening its organisational network in rural Sikh-majority constituencies.
