Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu resigns

Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Friday, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting his resignation with immediate effect.According to a press communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President accepted Bittu's resignation on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of India.The resignation comes after Bittu's Rajya Sabha tenure ended on June 21. He had served as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan from August 2024 to June 2026. He was nominated to the Upper House for the remainder of the term of a seat vacated by Congress leader KC Venugopal.Bittu had been a part of the Union Council of Ministers since 2024. He is now likely to focus on the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for next year.Shortly after his resignation was accepted, Bittu thanked President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Minister of State in the Government of India."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," Bittu said in a post on X. The development comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party gears up for the 2027 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections. The BJP has ruled out an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal and plans to contest the polls independently.During his visit to Punjab earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Shiromani Akali Dal, accusing it of serving its own "selfish interests" and caring "nothing for the people of Punjab." Ravneet Singh Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Beant Singh. A three-time Lok Sabha MP from the Congress, he joined the BJP in 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.In the 2017 Assembly elections, Bittu contested on a Congress ticket against Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann. He lost the election to Badal and finished third behind Mann.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bittu contested on a BJP ticket for the first time but lost to Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring by a margin of 20,942 votes.The BJP is looking to improve its performance in Punjab after winning just two seats in the 2022 Assembly elections, in which the Aam Aadmi Party secured 92 of the 117 seats.- EndsPublished On: Jul 24, 2026 20:29 IST