It may not be cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, but instead his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who could be made Aam Aadmi Party’s key contender for the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled early next year.
Sources said after the former Rajya Sabha member conveyed it to the AAP leadership that he was not looking for any post in the outfit, there are indications that his wife, who is a doctor and a member of Punjab legislative Assembly, could be projected as the AAP’s candidate to take on BJP-Akali Dal alliance in the State. While Sidhu has not shown up any interest to take up any party post, he has, however, conveyed to the AAP leadership that they could consider his nomination for the Rajya Sabha next year. Sidhu had resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 18.
Insiders said that there is a strong possibility that Sidhu could be the party’s star campaigner for Punjab polls. “Since Sidhuji has said he does not want any post, he could be the party’s star campaigner to take steam out of both BJP-Akali combine and Congress,” said a party insider. Asked what demands Sidhu has put up before the AAP leadership to join the outfit, a close confidant of CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “He has conveyed that if the party feels, they could nominate him to the Rajya Sabha next year.”
Sidhu had recently said that he had quit the Rajya Sabha as he was asked to stay away from Punjab. Though Sidhu has not made any statement about his future course of action, there are indications that he could announce his decision anytime between August 10 and August 15.
What has, however, surprised many within AAP is Sidhu’s recent meetings with some of the close confidants of former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh, who too had earlier given him an open invitation to join the Congress. “let’s wait and watch, till he makes an official announcement about his future political line of action,” is all what a senior AAP functionary had to say about the ongoing political developments.
On the party’s choice to project Dr Navjot Kaur as a key contender in Punjab, another AAP leader said that like his party she too has been critical of the way the Punjab Government has been functioning. “She herself announced her resignation from the BJP on her Facebook page, before launching an attack on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in another post,” AAP leader said.
Dr Kaur, who along with her husband, had not been enjoying the best of relations with her party’s Punjab unit as well as the SAD leadership, had posted a message on April 1, saying, “Finally, I have resigned from the BJP. The burden is over.”