Jaipur: BJP’s national general secretary Satish Poonia has been given charge of Punjab, marking his third major political responsibility in 2026. BJP national office in charge Tarun Chugh announced the appointment of party in charges for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat Tuesday. Poonia’s appointment comes a day after he was made national general secretary, adding another key assignment to a year in which his responsibilities within the party have expanded.Poonia was elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year and subsequently inducted into BJP’s national team. A senior BJP office-bearer said, “With the Punjab assignment, he will now be responsible for steering the party’s organisational and electoral preparations in the state ahead of the Assembly elections.”The assignment will involve strengthening BJP in Punjab, coordinating with the state leadership and ensuring that the party’s electoral strategy is implemented effectively at the booth level.“Poonia has already had an opportunity to work outside Rajasthan. Before being given Punjab’s responsibility, he was tasked with reviewing functioning of BJP govt in Haryana and preparing a report, a role that involved assessing govt’s performance, gathering political feedback and coordinating with the organisation,” added a BJP member.A party source said, “This is also part of BJP’s strategy to reach out to the Jat community. The move could serve two purposes, with local body and panchayat elections due in Rajasthan and the Assembly elections approaching in Punjab. In Lok Sabha elections, BJP lost 11 seats in Rajasthan, with Jat voters playing a significant role in several of these defeats. Many of these constituencies are either geographically close to Punjab or have some Punjabi influence.”
