From ABVP Activist to Punjab BJP In-Charge: How Satish Poonia rose through the BJP in four decades
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 18, 2026: BJP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan Satish Poonia has been assigned the responsibility of party in-charge for Punjab, adding another key organisational role to his long political career.
Poonia, 62, was born on December 20, 1964, in Bewad village of Rajgarh tehsil in Rajasthan's Churu district. He holds a BSc, LLB, MSc and PhD in Geography, besides diplomas in Labour Law, Criminology and HIC.
He began his political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1982 and held various organisational responsibilities in Jaipur and Rajasthan. He served as general secretary of the Rajasthan University Students' Union in 1989 and later contested for the university's president's post.
Poonia was also actively associated with movements including the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign, Kashmir Satyagraha and the Bofors movement. Between 1992 and 2003, he served as state general secretary and state president of the BJP's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and led the 1999 Yuva Jagran Padyatra.
From 2004 to 2014, he served in various organisational roles as a BJP Rajasthan state general secretary. He contested elections from Sadulpur and Amer and was elected MLA from Amer in 2018, besides serving as Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly.
Poonia served as President of the BJP's Rajasthan unit from 2019 to 2023, during which he led the party's political campaigns and agitations against the then Congress government in the state. During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite himself being infected three times, he remained involved in the party's Seva Hi Sangathan initiatives aimed at providing assistance to people.
In 2024, Poonia was appointed the BJP's organisational in-charge for Haryana and played a significant role in the party's campaign as it returned to power for a third consecutive term in the state. He has also handled organisational responsibilities during elections in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi and Bihar.
Within the BJP, Poonia is regarded as an experienced organisational strategist with a focus on grassroots mobilisation, social outreach and election management. His appointment as Punjab in-charge comes with the party continuing to strengthen its organisational structure and electoral preparations in the state.
With nearly four decades of experience spanning student politics, party organisation and electoral campaigns, Poonia is known within BJP circles as “Bhaisaab”, reflecting his longstanding connect with workers across different regions and social groups.