Sidhu meets Rahul, likely to contest, be key campaigner

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu today met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, formalising his long speculated entry into the party.

The 53-year-old former BJP MP will join the Congress shortly with the party leaders not yet putting a date to the event. All that the Congress insiders say is that Sidhu had around 40 minutes of one-on-one discussion about Punjab with Rahul Gandhi, who promised him a formidable role in the campaign. 

A section of Congress leadership maintains Sidhu is likely to contest from Amritsar East, which his wife Navjot Kaur represents.

Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh, however, says these matters will become clear once the party’s Central Election Committee takes a final view on seats. “It is up to Sidhu to spell out his plans. He earlier indicated he was not interested in fighting the Amritsar Lok Sabha segment which I recently resigned from. He will announce his plans and later we will discuss his role,” he said.

Navjot Kaur, meanwhile, has given indications that her husband may contest from Amritsar East, which the Congress says will be fought by either of the two.

All that is confirmed is that Sidhu will be the principal campaigner against the ruling Akali Dal and will kickstart his campaign from Amritsar, the segment he thrice represented in the Lok Sabha.