Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is set to lose his Amritsar seat but a visibly unhappy three-time MP from BJP made it clear that he will not contest from anywhere else.
Mr. Sidhu met party leadership in New Delhi on Saturday when he was apparently told that he would not be fielded again from the high-profile constituency of Punjab and was given a choice of three other seats - Delhi, Chandigarh or Kurukshetra.
He was called to the meeting of the Central Election Committee which was finalising the list of candidates.
BJP is planning to field Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, from Amritsar.
Mr. Sidhu said while he was ready to make “sacrifice” for his ‘guru’ Mr. Jaitley, he would not contest from anywhere else than Amritsar. “Amritsar is my ‘karmbhumi’ (place of work) and is also the place of my guru. I had pledged to the people there that I will either contest from Amritsar or I won’t contest. I remain committed to this even today,” he told reporters.
He, however, said that he will welcome Mr. Jaitley if the party fields him from Amritsar. “My relation with BJP and Jaitley is sacred. He is my mentor. A sacred relationship is about sacrificing. Whatever the party decides, I will welcome it. But Sidhu won’t ask for anything but make sacrifice,” he said.
When repeatedly asked what he wanted in case of being denied a ticket from Amritsar, he said he did not believe in give and take and has never sought anything from the party.
