Pepsi in Punjab to Politics: Who is industrial turned politician Kewal Singh Dhillon BJP bets on to lead Punjab unit
PTC News Desk: The BJP on Thursday appointed Kewal Singh Dhillon as president of Punjab unit, succeeding Sunil Jakhar as the party attempts to expand its Sikh outreach ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Notably Dhillon has often been credited for driving Pepsi into Punjab especially when only a handful of investors were ready to invest in the state due to militancy. Through the Dhillon Group, he built a major beverages and bottling business that later expanded into hospitality, real estate and other sectors.
An industrial-turned politician's this role was even widely acknowledged by the political rivals. Even after getting expelled from the Congress in 2022, his former colleague Manish Tewari publicly remarked that "Dhillon had brought PepsiCo to Punjab “when nobody was willing to invest in Punjab during terrorism”.
Dhillon's appointment comes at a time when BJP is trying to progress into rural Malwa region, which dominates Punjab and its politics. The appointment is also seen as a direct challenge to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party as Dhillon is a prominent face from Sangrur district, home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Kewal Singh Dhillon, 75, hails from Tallewal village in Barnala district. He served as an MLA from Barnala between 2007 and 2017 before losing the seat to AAP leader Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer in the 2017 Assembly elections.
He joined the BJP in June 2022 along with several former Congress leaders who switched sides following the Congress party’s crushing defeat in the Punjab Assembly polls. Later, he was appointed vice-president of the Punjab BJP unit.
After losing Barnala seat in 2017, he also unsuccessfully contested Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll on the party ticket.
Dhillon also shares a long political association with Capt Amarinder Singh, who himself joined the BJP after launching the Punjab Lok Congress. This connection is believed to give Dhillon access to Amarinder’s support base in the Malwa region.
With deploying Dhillon at the centre stage, BJP appears to be sending a strong signal that the party's Punjab strategy revolves around Sikh representation and a daring summon to AAP in the rural belt.
- PTC NEWS
