Top contests of 2014: Arun Jaitley vs Amarinder Singh

, March 24: Amritsar is one of the 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab. It consists of nine legislative assembly segments including Ajnala, Raja Sansi, Majitha, Amritsar North, Amritsar West, Amritsar Central, Amritsar East, Amristar South and Attari.

This time it's going to be a top 'hot' contest in Amritsar as the veteran leaders- BJP's Arun Jaitley and Congress's Captain Amarinder Singh have been pitted against each other.

'War of words' has already started between the two political stalwarts with Amarinder calling Jaitley as an "outsider" and "Pseudo Punjabi".

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2009 result: BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu got 47,109 votes (51.5%) and won by over 6,858 vote margin.

Amritsar goes to polls on April 30 in a single phase elections in Punjab.

About Amarinder Singh (Congress)

The former chief minister of Punjab (from 2002 to 2007), Captain Amarinder Singh was earlier reluctant to contest from Amritsar but had to bow down to the high command's order to take on BJP strongman Arun Jaitley.

His name was announced in the Congress's fifth list of candidates on Friday.

An MLA from Patiala constituency, Singh is the son of former Maharaja of Patiala, Yadavondra Singh and Mohinder Kaur and served as a captain in the Indian Army, before entering into politics.

In 1984, he resigned from Congress during Operation Blue Star. Singh is also the President of All India Jat Maha Sabha and has been demanding for reservation of Jats under OBC category.

72-year-old Singh has also penned down three books- A Ridge Too Far, Lest We Forget and The Last Sunset; Rise and Fall of Lahore Durbar.

On Sunday, Singh lashed out at BJP leader Arun Jaitley for raking up the issue of Sonia Gandhi's origin and reminded him of Indian tradition where daughter-in-law is the "real inheritor" of the family legacy.

Alleging that Arun Jaitley's "newfound love" for his Punjabi roots was sheer opportunism, Amarinder asked if he had so much attachment with his "Punjabi roots", why did he need to go to MP to contest an election and why not Punjab.

About Arun Jaitley (BJP)

61-year-old Arun Jaitley is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and BJP candidate from Amritsar constituency and is contesting his first ever elections by replacing its three-time sitting MP Navjot Singh Sidhu.

A seasoned politician and a leading professional lawyer, Jaitley was born in 1952 to Ratan Prabha Jaitley and Maharaj Kishen Jaitley, who was also a lawyer.

He joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student wing of the BJP, when he was pursuing his graduation in Delhi University.

He is married to Sangeeta Jaitley since 1982 and has two children- Rohan and Sonali.

A "strategic planner" of BJP, Jaitley has managed many assembly elections in different states and delivered victory.

Recently, Jaitley clarified that he was not looking "for any positions", when Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal pitched him as deputy prime minister if NDA comes to power.

Last week, Jaitley was accorded a rousing and warm welcome and party activists showered rose petals on his long cavalcade, when he reached Amritsar.

A former Union Law minister, Jaitley has said that he will have both his office and residential base in Amritsar, if he wins the polls.

Analysis: It would be a keen contest between the two heavyweights- Captain Amarinder Singh and Arun Jaitley.

Singh's clout in Amritsar and Jaitley's debut in parliamentary polls, who being an RS member chose a "tougher route" for himself, is yet to unfold the suspense of who will clinch to power.

OneIndia News