Ravneet Singh Bittu stepped down as Union Minister of State for Railways on Friday, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting his resignation, effective immediately. Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a press communique that President Droupadi Murmu accepted Ravneet Singh Bittu’s resignation on the recommendation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in accordance with Article 75(2) of the Constitution.

The development follows the end of Bittu’s Rajya Sabha term on 21 June. He had been a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan between August 2024 and June 2026, occupying the seat that fell vacant after Congress leader KC Venugopal stepped down.

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 move comes as the BJP begins preparations for the 2027 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections. The party has made it clear that it will contest the polls independently, without joining hands with the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while visiting Punjab earlier this month, criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal, alleging that the party was focused only on its own interests and had little concern for the people of Punjab.

Ravneet Singh Bittu comes from a prominent political family as the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. After serving as a three-time Congress Lok Sabha MP, he joined the BJP in 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

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.