Amritsar East turns into a new ball game for Sidhu, as Majithia gives him a run for money

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu however has an edge over senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia on his home turf

5 min readAmritsarUpdated: Feb 18, 2022 04:45 PM IST

Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia will take on Punjab Pradesh Congress (PCC) president Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar East. (Express file photos)

With three days left for the Punjab Assembly polls, all eyes are on the Amritsar East constituency, where two firebrand leaders – state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia – are locked in a pitched battle.

The high-profile constituency had proved to be a cakewalk for cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu in the previous election, who had switched to the Congress from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the 2017 Assembly polls. Contesting as a Congress candidate, he had then clinched the seat by over 40,000 votes.

Also Read | Amritsar East: Navjot Kaur slams local councillors for neglecting constituency

Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur was the first candidate to win Amritsar East in the 2012 polls as a BJP candidate after it was carved out as a new constituency following delimitation. The saffron party was then an ally of the SAD.

This election is turning out to be a different ball game for Sidhu though, with former minister Majithia giving him a run for his money.

The Sidhu family’s hold over Amritsar East was put to test as soon as the SAD leadership decided to take its battle against the Punjab Congress chief to his constituency by fielding Majithia from there. Majithia had been in Sidhu’s line of fire for months ahead of the Punjab polls over the drugs issue.

The iron lady’s charisma synergised every soul in the city pic.twitter.com/7j1CCQ6ZrN

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) February 16, 2022

Majithia had initially filed his nomination from his stronghold, Majitha, indicating that he will contest from both the constituencies, but later, accepting the challenge thrown by Sidhu, he decided to fight only from Amritsar East leaving his Majitha seat for his wife Ganieve Kaur, who is now the SAD candidate from there.

The BJP has given its ticket to former IAS officer Jagmohan Raju from Amritsar East, whereas the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Jeevan Jyot Kaur, who has been associated with the party since 2014.

Also Read | As Sidhu meets Majithia, all eyes on Amritsar scorecard

In their election rallies, Sidhu and Majithia have been unrelentingly going after each other. Majithia seems to have gone all out to take on

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Sidhu, deploying formidable resources into his election management. He is seeking to reach out to all communities. Seizing on perceived “anti-incumbency” against Sidhu, he is projecting himself as a leader “who gets work done against all odds”.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Bikram Singh Majithia with his supporters, during an election campaign for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, in Amritsar, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (PTI)

Majithia also seems to be exploiting the rifts within the Congress against Sidhu, managing to get 3 of the Congress’s 15 councillors from the constituency defect to his party.

A formidable campaigner, Sidhu, however, has the advantage of fighting the election on his home turf. He has been pulling crowds in his rallies. In his fiery speeches, he has been attacking Majithia and the Akali Dal for everything that has gone wrong with Punjab. And, he is using the FIR under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act against Majithia as a political weapon against him, telling voters that the outcome of this election will determine their children’s future. Majithia has been out on bail in this case.

A measure of Majithia’s fierce challenge to Sidhu could be gauged from the point that the SAD candidate has managed to pin the state Congress chief down to Amritsar East. Amid signs of anti-incumbency against her husband, Navjot Kaur has been telling people that she will be more accessible to them now.

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However, the biggest odd Majthia is up against is the “perception battle”, with Sidhu charging in his speeches that the former’s “tainted image” was the main reason behind Arun Jaitely’s defeat at the hands of Captain Amarinder Singh in Amritsar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Sidhu enjoys a “clean image”, although there is some resentment against him in the constituency over his “overbearing attitude” and his inaccessibility.

The Congress hopes that the anti-incumbency votes against him would be divided between the SAD, AAP, and BJP candidates.

On his part, Majithia is seeking to play humble. He even turned tearful during a recent rally while making a reference to his mother. He has also mounted an outreach to the Hindu voters. He is even playing a caste card against Sidhu, telling Dalits that the latter has been against his own party leader and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi while eyeing his post.

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The BJP’s Raju is not a local candidate and he is using Twitter and Facebook to attack Sidhu and Majithia. The AAP’s Jyot is also not able to pull crowds in her rallies, with the contest being clearly a direct battle between Sidhu and Majithia.

Kamaldeep Singh Brar

Kamaldeep Singh Brar is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, primarily covering Amritsar and the Majha region of Punjab. He is one of the publication's key reporters for stories involving the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and the sensitive socio-political issues of the border districts. Core Beats & Specializations Religious & Panthic Affairs: He has deep expertise in the internal workings of the Akal Takht and SGPC, frequently reporting on religious sentences (Tankhah), Panthic politics, and the influence of Sikh institutions. National Security & Crime: His reporting covers cross-border drug smuggling, drone activities from Pakistan, and the activities of radical groups. Regional Politics: He is the primary correspondent for the Majha belt, covering elections and political shifts in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His work in late 2025 has been centered on judicial developments, local body elections, and religious controversies: 1. Religious Politics & Akal Takht "Akal Takht pronounces religious sentences against former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh" (Dec 8, 2025): Covering the historic decision to hold the former Jathedar guilty for granting a pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015. "YouTube suspends SGPC’s channel for a week over video on 1984 Army action" (Nov 20, 2025): Reporting on the digital friction between global tech platforms and Sikh religious bodies. "As AAP govt grants Amritsar holy tag, a look at its fraught demand" (Nov 28, 2025): An analytical piece on the long-standing demand for declaring Amritsar a "holy city" and its political implications. 2. Crime & National Security "Mostly Khalistanis on Amritpal’s hit list: Punjab govt to High Court" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on the state government's claims regarding jailed MP Amritpal Singh orchestrating activity from prison. "Punjab man with links to Pakistan’s ISI handlers killed in encounter" (Nov 20, 2025): Detailing a police operation in Amritsar involving "newly refurbished" firearms likely sent from across the border. "15 schools in Amritsar get bomb threat emails; police launch probe" (Dec 12, 2025): Covering the panic and police response to mass threats against educational institutions. 3. Political Analysis & Elections "AAP wins 12 of 15 zones in SAD stronghold Majitha" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant shift in the 2025 rural elections where the Akali Dal lost its grip on a traditional fortress. "Tarn Taran bypoll: woman faces threats after complaining to CM Mann about drug menace" (Nov 9, 2025): A ground report on the personal risks faced by citizens speaking out against the illegal drug trade in border villages. "AAP wins Tarn Taran bypoll, but SAD finds silver lining" (Nov 14, 2025): Analyzing the 2025 assembly by-election results and the surprising performance of Independents backed by radical factions. 4. Human Interest "Two couples and a baby: Punjab drug addiction tragedy has new victims" (Nov 20, 2025): A tragic investigative piece about parents selling an infant to fund their addiction. "Kashmiri women artisans debut at Amritsar’s PITEX" (Dec 8, 2025): A feature on financial independence initiatives for rural women at the Punjab International Trade Expo. Signature Beat Kamaldeep is known for his nuanced understanding of border dynamics. His reporting often highlights the "drug crisis in the underprivileged localities" (like Muradpur in Tarn Taran, Nov 9, 2025), providing a voice to marginalized communities affected by addiction and administrative neglect. X (Twitter): @kamalsbrar ... Read More

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