Sidhu likely to join AAP as its Punjab CM face

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Taking BJP by surprise, Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned as Rajya Sabha MP on Monday and looked set to join Aam Aadmi Party with a strong possibility of being projected as its CM choice for Punjab which goes to the polls early next year.

Sidhu's defection three months after being named a nominated member of Rajya Sabha and being recently made part of BJP's core committee for Punjab left the saffron camp embarrassed on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. Sidhu handed his resignation to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari and insisted that it be immediately accepted.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who was in Punjab, tweeted, “People can give their right hand for an RS seat. Ever seen a sitting RS MP resigning to save his state? I salute Sidhuji for his courage.“

AAP's Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh indicated that Sidhu might soon be associated with the party, saying an official announcement might be made at the right time. Sidhu, known for his outspoken nature and one-liners, is seen to fill a crucial gap in the AAP campaign that has lacked a popular Jat Sikh face to take on the Akalis and present an alternative to Congress's Amarinder Singh.

The three-time Amritsar MP, who has been a strong critic of the SAD leadership, did not comment on his plans but his angst against the Badals seemed clear in his statement. “At the behest of the honourable PM, I had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab, the purpose stands defeated. It is now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it.“

Sources in AAP said the party would formally announce Sidhu's joining in 3-4 days but may take some more time to project him as chief ministerial candidate. Sources said Kejriwal and party brass had met Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur several times in the recent past. There is a view that Sidhu will fortify AAP's 2017 poll campaign even though his television commitments have kept him away from politics. All of AAP's four Lok Sabha MPs come from Punjab, where it benefited from popular disenchantment with the Akali-BJP dispensation and opinion polls indicate the party could do well in the state elections.

Sidhu's move was described as a coup by AAP and the former MP's decision raises a serious question over BJP's assessment that it had mended bridges with Sidhu and that he was an asset in Punjab.

Sidhu is seen as a likely CM face to compete against old warhorse Amarinder Singh. His induction into AAP may upset Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor's plan for a campaign that focused on AAP's lack of a chief ministerial nominee.