Sidhu, not wife, likely to contest from Amritsar East in Punjab assembly polls
In a major development, it is almost certain now that former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu will open his innings in Congress by contesting the assembly elections 2017 in place of his wife.
Former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu will open his innings in the Congress by contesting the Punjab assembly elections from Amritsar East in place of his wife, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu.
Sources told HT that the former cricketer will not contest the Lok Sabha bypoll from Amritsar but will most likely take guard from the Amritsar East, from where Dr Sidhu was elected on a BJP ticket in 2012. Though the Congress high command wanted Dr Sidhu to contest the assembly polls and Navjot Sidhu to contest the LS bypoll on the Amritsar seat vacated by state unit chief Capt Amarinder Singh, the Sidhu couple made it clear that they will only contest one election. Now, sources close to the Sidhu family said, it has been finalised that Sidhu himself will contest to enter the assembly.
He will reach Amritsar after formally joining the party next week, it is learnt. And once the ticket announcement is made, he will be accorded a welcome by party workers before an obeisance visit to the Golden Temple. Some central Congress leaders may also accompany him.
It is learnt that the couple’s new plan is the major reason why the ticket for Amritsar East was not declared by the Congress in its first list of 61 candidates. The second list is set to be out next week. Earlier, Dr Sidhu — upon joining the Congress along with their Awaaz-e-Punjab forum colleague and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh — had said that she would contest from Amritsar East while Sidhu will get a big role and be the star campaigner for the party.