LS polls: Aujla gets Sidhus’ backing

A DAY AFTER SIDHU’S MEETING WITH AUJLA, HIS WIFE NAVJOT KAUR CALLS MEETING OF LOCAL LEADERS AND COUNCILLORS IN SUPPORT OF AUJLA

AMRITSAR : Sidhu family threw weight behind Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar and sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from the same parliamentary segment, Gurjit Singh Aujla, for the polls slated on May 19 in Punjab and asked local leaders to support him.

When some of the Congress MLAS were yet to support Aujla, Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife and former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Sunday called all the councillors and local leaders at his residence and asked her supporters to contribute in Aujla’s victory.

Navjot Kaur, who has also sought party ticket from Chandigarh, said the party is supreme and its decision is acceptable to everyone. When asked to comment on the statement of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wherein she dared her to contest elections from Bathinda, she told Badal to face Aujla in Amritsar.

Earlier, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Aujla sat together on Saturday at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport after seeing off Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, who was here to pay homage to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Congress MLA from Amritsar (west) Raj Kumar Verka was also present on the occasion. Sidhu had discussion with Aujla for around half-an-hour and expressed solidarity with him.

Punjab education minister OP Soni, MLA from Amritsar (north) have supported Aujla openly. The sources close to Aujla said MLA from Amritsar south Inderbir Singh Bolaria has also expressed solidarity with him, but Bolaria was yet to hold any meeting in his favour.

As far as MLAS from rural assembly segments are concerned, they continue to keep mum on the issue.