Punjab polls 2022 Prashant Kishor met over 60 times before I joined Congress: Navjot Sidhu
New Delhi/IBNS: Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who failed to become Congress's Chief Ministerial face for Punjab, on Tuesday said he joined the party after around 60 visits by election strategist Prashant Kishor ahead of the 2017 assembly elections in the state.
"Prashant Kishor met me at least 60 times asking me to join the Congress," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Sidhu said that Kishor, who was then helping Congress to script victory in Punjab, was apprehensive about the prospects of the party and thought his joining will help swing a chunk of votes.
"PK said the Congress won't get over 30-35 seats. If you (Sidhu) come, there will be a swing of 7-8 per cent," he said.
Congress came to power in the 2017 assembly elections, winning 77 out of 117 seats.
Sidhu said Arvind Kejriwal had sent him proposals too and when they finally met, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief did not offer him a party ticket for either house of Parliament and wanted him only to campaign for the party.
Sidhu said Rahul Gandhi was responsible to get him on board for Congress, pledging his loyalty to the Gandhis "as long as I breathe".
Prashant Kishor quit his role as an advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister last year, weeks before Amarinder Singh stepped down as the Chief Minister in September after a year-long feud with a section of MLAs led by Sidhu.
Speaking about apparently failing to become the "people's choice" for the post of Chief Minister of the ruling party in Punjab this week, he said the whole question of the party's candidate for the top position becomes redundant if the Congress fails to win 60 seats in the assembly.
"If we have 60 MLAS, we will choose CM. If we do not have 60 MLAs, the whole thing turns. Then whether somebody else forms the government or it a hung assembly, is in God's hands," he said
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