Punjab Key Candidates

Sidhu is the president of the Punjab Congress. The sitting MLA from the Amritsar East seat is locked in a high-stakes contest with Akali leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia in the constituency this time. Known for his crowd-pulling power and oratorical skills, Sidhu has not been able to go out much to campaign for fellow candidates of the party as he is facing a tough fight in his own backyard. The cricketer-turned-politician, who left the BJP to join the Congress before the 2017 assembly elections, is a four-time MP – three times to the Lok Sabha and once nominated to the Rajya Sabha. When the Congress formed its government, he became a minister, but soon fell out with then chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and quit the cabinet. Sidhu was among the rebels who triggered developments that forced Amarinder to step down. He also did not get along well with Amarinder's successor and incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, questioning several of his appointments and policy decisions. Born in Patiala, Sidhu, whose father was a Congress leader, started out as a cricketer, making his debut in first class cricket in 1981-82 and went on to play for India for several years as a top-order batsman. After retirement, he turned to cricket commentary and joined politics in 2004.