On the roster of celebrity campaigners, Navjot Sidhu is absent from the vote scene

Navjot Sidhu, the cricketer-turned-politician who was once the most sought-after campaigner, is nowhere to be seen.

Despite not having endorsed party candidates, the former head of the PPCC continues to have the trust of the party’s top leadership, as seen by his inclusion on the list of star campaigners for Punjab.

Aside from his urgent personal matters and his involvement in the current Indian Premier League, he was “miffed” by the state party leadership for moving against the leaders who supported him and keeping him out of policy choices.

According to party officials, Amritsar, Sangrur, Patiala, and other towns are requesting that he participate in the campaign, demonstrating his political significance.

Shamsher Singh Dullo, a former leader of the PPCC, said, “Sidhu’s broad appeal cannot be disregarded. He is one of the rare lawmakers who is unencumbered by party affiliation. Action was taken against the leaders who organized the demonstrations that he was conducting to bolster the party.

He had a turbulent path in the Congress ever since he joined Sidhu before of the 2017 Assembly elections. He resigned as a Cabinet Minister in 2019 after a confrontation with then-Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, and he played a key role in Capt. Amarinder’s overthrow as CM in September 2021. After eight months, due to disagreements with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the lead-up to the 2022 Assembly elections, he resigned as head of the PPCC.

Following his release in April 2023 from a one-year imprisonment for driving while intoxicated, Sidhu fell out with the leadership of the state party. Critics inside the party claim he was a recluse who found it difficult to work with other leaders. However, Sidhu’s fans believe that the state government became uneasy due to his popularity.

In January 2023, Sidhu met with CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa and PPCC chairman Amrinder Raja Warring again after Devendra Yadav replaced Harsh Chaudhary as the new Punjab affairs chief. He has questioned them about maintaining party discipline using a double standard. He had expressed doubts to the state leadership about their lack of a serious investigation of the AAP government’s deeds of commission and omission.