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Congress wooing Cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Youvraj Singh for Amritsar Lok Sabha seat; Gets dim response

February 20, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Amritsar, Punjab (February 20, 2014): As per media reports the Punjab Congress is attempting to woo cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh to be its candidate Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. The seat is currently held by Bhartiya Janta Party’s MP Navjot Sidhu, who is also a former cricketer.

According to media reports, the Congress is keen to rope in a celebrity against Navjot Sidhu who is very likely to be the BJP candidate for the Amritsar seat despite his high-profile spat with the Badal Dal leadership which is the BJP’s ally in Punjab.

According to ‘News East West’: [t]he Congress has approached both Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh to see if they are interested in fighting against Navjot Sidhu.

According to The Tribune: [t]he response from both is said to have been lukewarm so far.

As per reports both cricketers will soon be busy in the Indian Premier League where Yuvraj Singh, with a Rs 14.3-crore price tag, has become the costliest player this year.

Harbhajan Singh is in the twilight of his career, with a slimmer of hope of regaining his position in the Indian cricket team as his replacement Ashwin Ramachandran has failed overseas repeatedly.

Certain media have observed that it is unlikely that Harbhajan or Yuvraj will jeopardise their cricketing future by taking the political plunge against a seasoned Navjot Sidhu.

Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar’s name has also been reportedly proposed. A Punjabi, Babbar is seen as a suitable contestant considering his parents had settled in Amritsar post-Partition.

As per media reports Raj Babbar said, “The party high command would have to take a decision on this. So far, none of the top leaders have approached me. If someone does, I will see what to do after speaking to my supporters.” He currently represents the Firozabad (UP) Lok Sabha constituency.

But, some reports have quoted unnamed Congress sources saying that it might be difficult for the central leadership to spare Babbar from Uttar Pradesh, a state politically critical for any party.

According to The Tribune (TT): [a] top leader involved with the screening process of candidates for Punjab (currently five seats not held by the Congress, including Amritsar, are being discussed) said, “We are considering celebrity candidates from Amritsar along with the official party candidates. We have a good number of official candidates as well, including OP Soni, Sukh Sarkaria and Lali Majithia.”

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Related Topics: Amritsar, BJP, Indian National Congress, Lok Sabha Elections 2014, Navjot Sidhu

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