Navjot Singh Sidhu gets place in Punjab BJP core committee, Anil Joshi out

Navjot Singh Sidhu, the three-time Amritsar MP, had stopped playing an active part in the Punjab affairs ever since the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat went to Arun Jaitley.

Amritsar: Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had long been sidelined by the party in Punjab, has been included in the state Bharatiya Janata Party's core committee ahead of the Assembly Elections.

Notably, the cricketer-turned-politician and his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the state government, do not share a good relation with the leadership of the BJP's ally in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Cabinet minister Anil Joshi, former MP Gurcharan Kaur and former MLA Tikshan Sud have, meanwhile, been dropped from the committee.

Sidhu, the three-time Amritsar MP, had stopped playing an active part in the Punjab affairs ever since the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat went to Arun Jaitley.

His inclusion sends a strong signal to the SAD that the Rajya Sabha member would be playing a pivotal role in the state's affairs.