New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Friday, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting his resignation with immediate effect on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A communiqué issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the resignation was accepted under Clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.
Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024 after leaving the Congress. He later contested the Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana but was defeated. Subsequently, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan and inducted into the Union Council of Ministers. His Rajya Sabha term ended on June 21, and he continued as a minister under the constitutional provision that allows a minister to remain in office for up to six months without being a member of Parliament.
While no official reason was given for the resignation, BJP sources indicated that Bittu is expected to focus on preparations for the Punjab Assembly elections due next year. He is also likely to take on a larger organisational role for the party in Punjab, where the BJP is seeking to expand its presence.
