Chandigarh, Sep 27 : The BJP on Friday denied rumours about the resignation of Sunil Jakhar as Punjab unit president, the party's prominent Hindu face in the state.

However, there is no official statement from the party so far.

Party sources said Jakhar has been upset for some time over the state of affairs and has already apprised the top leadership about his unwillingness to work as the state party president. He is said to have conveyed that he is unable to work freely, the sources added.

'He has offered to step down but the party advised him to continue to hold the post till the next election to the post likely in December and he agreed upon the advice,' a senior party leader told IANS.

The sources said rumours about his purported 'differences' with the party gained strength when he preferred to remain absent from a meeting called by him on Thursday to finalise the party's strategy for the ongoing membership drive. 'After abstaining from the meeting, rumours spread that he boycotted the meeting in protest,' a source said.

Jakhar has just returned from abroad after a month-long visit. Coming forward to deny media reports over the resignation of Jakhar, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal debunked 'fake reports' of Jakhar's resignation and unwillingness to work.

'Jakhar is the party's senior-most leader and I met him two-three days ago and he has not expressed anything (over his decision to resign),' Grewal told a news channel, adding 'owing to his preoccupations, he might not be able to attend the meeting (on Thursday)'.

'For his non-availability, it is wrong to link his resignation or disappointment with the party's (central) leadership,' he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July 2023 appointed former Congress leader Jakhar as its state unit president.

Jakhar, one of the senior Congress leaders in Punjab, joined the BJP in May 2022, three months after the Assembly elections that the Congress lost.

A former Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Jakhar is a three-time MLA from the Abohar Assembly constituency. He is known for his plain speak and straightforward approach.

Jakhar had been the Congress chief in the state for four years before being replaced by Navjot Singh Sidhu in 2021.

/IANS