New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Friday, ahead of next year’s Punjab Assembly elections.
President Droupadi Murmu accepted his resignation with immediate effect on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.
The President accepted the resignation under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.
Bittu’s resignation followed the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure on June 21. He represented Rajasthan in the Upper House from August 2024 to June 2026.
He entered the Rajya Sabha through a by-election for the remaining term of the seat vacated by Congress leader KC Venugopal.
Bittu had served in the Union Council of Ministers since 2024. He held the portfolios of Minister of State for Railways and Minister of State for Food Processing Industries.
After the President accepted his resignation, Bittu thanked Murmu and Modi for allowing him to serve in the central government.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji and Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the nation as Minister of State in the Government of India. It has been an honour to serve the people of India, especially my beloved Punjab. I remain committed to the ideals of service, nationalism, and the vision of a Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. My journey of public service continues with renewed dedication,” he wrote on X.
Bittu will likely focus on the BJP’s campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
The BJP has ruled out an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal and plans to contest the election independently. The party won only two seats in the 2022 Punjab election, while the Aam Aadmi Party secured 92 of the state’s 117 seats.
Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. He won three Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate before joining the BJP ahead of the 2024 general election.
He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana on a BJP ticket but lost to Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring by 20,942 votes.
Bittu also contested the 2017 Punjab Assembly election against Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann. He finished third as Badal won the seat.
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