Sidhu files nomination for Amritsar Bypolls

Amritsar, Jan 25: Flashing the victory sign and amid slogans of 'Sidhu zindabad', cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu today filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for the Amritsar Parliamentary seat.

Flanked by enthusiastic BJP workers and supporters, Sidhu drove in a procession to the Deputy Commissioners office to submit his papers. BJP national general secretary and incharge of BJP affairs in Punjab, Arun Jaitley, who was expected to accompany Sidhu, could not reach the city due to some work in Delhi.

Exuding confidence, Sidhu told reporters that the voters of Amritsar who gave him a thumping victory in the last Lok Sabha polls would again stand by him. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance will be voted to power in the assembly polls, he reiterated.

'' Mujeh saazish ke thet fasaya gaya hai (a conspiracy was hatched against me),'' he claimed and added '' Jaise Suraj ki rooshni ko aap nahin rok sakte, usi tarah saach ko nahe roka ga sakta (Just as you cannot stop the rays of the sun, you cannot hide the truth for long).'' ''However, I respect the Court's verdict and have great respect for the Judiciary,'' he said.

Mr Sidhu had resigned from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat following his conviction in a road rage case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on December six. Sidhu, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment, appealed against his conviction and sought a stay from the Supreme Court.

The apex court stayed the conviction, paying the way for him to contest the Amritsar by-election.

Sidhu's main opponent from Amritsar will be Finance Minister Surinder Singla, who has been chosen by the Congress high command to take on the immensely popular television anchor. In the last Lok Sanha polls, Sidhu had trounced Congress heavyweight and former Union minister R L Bhatia by over one lakh votes.

Mr Bhatia, now the Governor of Kerala, had won four Parliamentary elections from Amritsar. He was the first choice of the Congress for the by-election, but he declined.

UNI

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