AMRITSAR: It is Guru versus Chella in a keenly watched election; as cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu who entered state politics and is contesting the assembly elections for the first time from Amritsar (East) constituency is pitched against Rajesh Kumar Honey of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The 53-year old Sidhu had brought Rajesh Kumar Honey into politics few years ago when he was in the BJP but is now contesting against him. As Sidhu is a star campaigner of the Congress he is touring the state and campaigning for the other candidates, while his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu who is sitting MLA from this constituency after she vacated her seat for her husband is holding fort and campaigning for him his absence.
The former three-time Amritsar MP says that he is not bothered about gains or losses in this battle as the lone target is to rid Punjab of the Badals, `Badal-Mukt Punjab’. Sidhu claims that he is on a mission to save Punjab from the Badals who have "looted" the state.
A bitter critic of the ruling Badal clan, the Sidhu couple have opposed them since they were in the BJP, before they switched their loyalties and joined the Congress. Sidhu is enthralling people with his one-liners, like "Bhaag, Badal Bhaag, kursi khali kar (run Badal, run. Leave the chair)" as he targets the Badals in his rallies.
This could be a cake walk for Sidhu from here, with the work done by his wife in the area which has 1.52 lakh voters with 153 polling stations. When Sidhu was the MP from Amritsar, his strong hold was this constituency. But nobody can predict the elections result, as a few of the congress leaders are not happy with Sidhu’s joining. The other reason to this could be that his wife is moving with a few leaders and workers who were with them in the saffron party.
As Sidhu was a contender for the Chief Ministerial berth but on Friday party vice president Rahul Gandhi announced Capt Amarinder Singh as the CM candidate, this could also hurt his prospects.
But on the other hand, to Sidhu’s benefit, the BJP candidate Rajesh Honey is greenhorn he is president of the district unit of BJP and a councilor of the party. Honey first won the municipal corporation election in 2007 and then again in 2012.
Honey, a creation of Sidhu takes his `Guru’ head on as he says that Sidhu has no time for
Amritsar and once the elections conclude on February 5 he will return to Mumbai.
While few others feel that Sidhu is a visiting faculty the reason is the same he will go back.
There are 15 candidates in the fray from this seat. Sarabjot Singh of AAP, Baldev Singh of CPI, Tarsem of BSP and five independent candidates. Sidhu was BJP MP from Amritsar in 2004, 2007 (by-election) and 2009.