Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has finally resigned from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party.
Mr. Sidhu had resigned from the upper house of India’s parliament in July and had been weighing his options for weeks before he finally announced his own political front ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ last week.
Mr. Sidhu was still a member of the BJP while he negotiated with Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party and even when he made the announcement of launching his political front with support from former Indian Hockey captain Pargat Singh.
Sidhu’s wife, Dr. Navjot Kaur Sidhu confirmed that the former Amritsar MP had quit the BJP twelve years after he was elected as a parliamentarian on the BJP ticket from Amritsar.
Dr. Siduh, a lawmaker herself, said she too would resign from the BJP once Mr. Sidhu’s new party is set up.
Sidhu had refused to call his front ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ a political party.
Last week Mr Sidhu, 52, explained why a deal to join AAP did not come through. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he alleged, wanted "only yes men" in the party and had asked him not to contest the Punjab assembly elections, to be held early next year.
Sidhu also rebuffed the Congress’ gestures to invite him to join the party in Punjab.
Refusing to delve into the whether he will be the chief ministerial candidate of his new party, Mr Sidhu had said he has invited "like-minded" people to join hands with him.
Navjot Sidhu resigned as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha in July this year.
Sidhu had been upset with the BJP since the 2014 general election when, due to his frosty relations with the Shiromani Akali Dal, Arun Jaitley was fielded from Amritsar, a seat that Sidhu had won in three consecutive elections.
More from SBS Punjabi
Navjot Sidhu forms new front 'Awaaz-e-Punjab'
