When Navjot Singh Sidhu was nominated to the Rajya Sabha recently, many thought the former cricketer has finally been placated by the BJP leadership. Sidhu’s ties with the BJP had strained in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections after the party decided to field Arun Jaitley from Amritsar, a constituency he held from 2004 to 2014. Jaitley, however, lost from the “safe seat” to Captain Amrinder Singh of the Congress. The result was a vindication for Sidhu who was eyeing another victory from this constituency.
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The fissures were visible. A sulking Sidhu decided not to campaign for Jaitley during the Lok Sabha elections. Since then, Sidhu was sidelined from the party affairs. He remained low profile, and instead, focused on his TV stint in the popular comedy show hosted by Kapil Sharma.
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But all this changed when Sidhu was nominated to the Upper House from Punjab. BJP, perhaps tried to preempt Sidhu’s bid to join any other party. His nomination was seen as BJP’s move to consolidate its Punjab unit ahead of the Assembly elections. And more recently, he was also inducted into the core committee of the BJP’s Punjab unit. His inclusion was seen as only fitting since the Aam Aadmi Party is believed to have made serious gains in the run up to the Assembly elections. This was also a signal that Sidhu will play an important role in the elections.
Given his uncomfortable equation with the BJP leadership after the 2014 polls, Sidhu’s resignation from Rajya Sabha may not surprise many. There are now reports that he is likely to join the AAP. If this be the case, then BJP is at the risk of losing a popular leader and perhaps a face ahead of the crucial state polls. If he indeed joins the party, it will be a big boost for Arvind Kejriwal who has turned out to be a serious contender in the polls.
Like his exploits on the cricket ground, Sidhu now seems to be all geared up for a new innings with a new team.
