Cricketer-turned-BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Monday at a time speculations were rife that he might join the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of next year’s Punjab election.
Sidhu, a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar, was elected to the Upper House in April. While he was not available for comment, his staff in Amritsar confirmed the news of his resignation.
Sources close to Sidhu have told Indian Express that he might be joining the Aam Aadmi Party. Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur, a Parliamentary Secretary in Punjab SAD-BJP govt, may also resign, say sources.
AAP has been campaigning in Punjab for the upcoming assembly elections in 2017.
Interestingly, Sidhu’s name figures in the core group created by the BJP to steer the party to victory in the upcoming polls.
Sidhu has a long-standing feud with the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership and he may have seen it as a hindrance to his political ambitions.
Sidhu’s move came on the day AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited the Golden Temple, a famous Sikh shrine. A section of the state BJP believes Sidhu, a prominent face in Punjab politics, is in touch with AAP leaders.
His legislator wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, triggered a buzz earlier this year by advocating a split with the SAD ahead of the election. She also made noises about being sidelined due to their alleged sour equation with the SAD.
The AAP has also been sending feelers to Sidhu in the run up to the crucial polls. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal had last year said that Sidhu is welcome to join the Aam Aadmi Party.
