Navjot Sidhu focusing on Patiala: Congress leaders

GS Paul

Amritsar, March 8

Local Congress leaders believe that three-time MP Navjot Sidhu has already shifted his focus from “karam bhoomi”, Amritsar, to “janam bhoomi”, Patiala.

In 2014, when Sidhu was replaced with former Union Minister Arun Jaitely for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat and asked to contest from Kurukshetra, he said, “Amritsar is the place where my work and action speaks for itself. Since I started contesting elections from this holy place, I have promised myself never to abandon it. Either, I will contest from Amritsar or else I won’t contest elections.”

May be fielded from home town

Sidhu’s popularity in Amritsar can’t be ignored. As he has shifted his base from Amritsar, we believe that the party may field him from Patiala. Ashwani Kumar, Cong head, Amritsar (U)

Nonetheless, after tasting his first political debacle from Amritsar (East) in the 2022 Assembly poll by AAP candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur, Sidhu has moved his attention towards Patiala.

Amritsar’s (Urban) head Ashwani Kumar Pappu, who has been overseeing the Congress’ Lok Sabha preparations, said the choice would be between sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and former Deputy CM OP Soni.

Though Sidhu is reluctant to contest the Lok Sabha poll, a Congress leader said Sidhu could fill the vacuum in Patiala as sitting MP Preneet Kaur, wife of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, who had switched over to the BJP, may contest on a saffron ticket this time. “It would be Sidhu’s discretion to contest General Elections. If the high command still asks him between Amritsar and Patiala, I think, Patiala will be the best bet for him. Other than Sidhu, there’s no leader in the Congress’ kitty who can fill the void left by Preneet. The Congress can’t afford to lose Patiala constituency,” he said.

Insiders said the Congress would field ‘big’ faces in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll and may not replace the sitting MPs, especially the ones who performed well in Parliament.