Chandigarh, Sep 14 (IANS): Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who had resigned after losing the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat to actor-politician Sunny Deol of the BJP, will continue in his post, the Congress said on Saturday.

Taking note of the "good work" done by him as the state party chief, the Congress high command has rejected the resignation of Jakhar as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), an official statement said.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Punjab, Asha Kumari, asked Jakhar to continue in his post.

Welcoming the decision, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that it was in the interest of the party as Jakhar was a seasoned grassroots leader in the state, where he had done immense work on the ground besides building a strong party cadre.

Senior Congress leader Jakhar (65) -- who was elected from Gurdaspur in the 2017 Lok Sabha bypolls held after the death of BJP lawmaker Vinod Khanna -- had lost in this year's general elections to Sunny Deol, who was contesting his maiden election, by over 80,000 votes.

"Everyone supported me fully and put in their best for me, but I was unable to defend my seat. In such a scenario, I cannot continue as the state chief. I feel a moral responsibility to quit," Jakhar had written in his resignation letter.