Navjot Singh Sidhu is a former Indian cricketer who joined politics after retiring from cricket in December, 1999. Besides a politician, Sidhu is also a popular cricket commentator and makes appearances in various television shows. Sidhu was Member of Parliament from Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency from 2004 to 2014. He was nominated by the BJP as member of the Rajya Sabha in April, 2016. He resigned from the post three months later and formed his own party Awaaz-e-Punjab in September, 2016.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was born on 20 October, 1963 to a Jat Sikh family in Patiala district of Punjab. Sardar Bhagwant Singh Sidhu, his father, had also been an avid cricket player. Sidhu studied at HR College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai before starting his cricketing career in 1983. He is married to Navjot Kaur Sidhu and the couple have two children, daughter Rabia and son Karan Sidhu.
Navjot Singh Sidhu made his international debut in a home test series against West Indies in 1983. He was picked in the 1987 World Cup squad and ended up scoring four half centuries. He chalked up his maiden ODI century against Pakistan in 1989 and his best ODI score of 134 came against England in 1993. After an illustrious career of 16 years, Sidhu stopped swinging his bat in all international forms of the sport in 1999. After retirement, Sidhu took a liking to the microphone and continues to host and participate in various popular television shows.
Sidhu was elected as a representative of Amritsar constituency in the Lok Sabha on Bharatiya Janata Party ticket in 2004. Sidhu tendered his resignation from the Lok Sabha after facing manslaughter charges in 2006. The Supreme Court's stay order on his three-year sentence in 2007 allowed him to contest in the 2009 elections. He defeated his Congress opponent Surinder Singla by a huge margin of 77,626 votes. In April 2016, he was nominated by the BJP to the Rajya Sabha - the Upper House of the Parliament. He stepped down from the post only three months later claiming that the party had commanded him to not to involve himself in the upcoming elections in his home state Punjab.
Sidhu is known for his borderline asinine - yet painfully hilarious - metaphors and one-liners with philosophical undertone and a peculiar oratory style. From cricket analyst on sport channels to comedy show judge on entertainment programmes, he plays any role off the cricket field with elan. He contested in the sixth edition of a reality show Bigg Boss and featured as a permanent guest on Comedy Nights with Kapil. Not that it seems to bother him, Sidhu has been a subject of ridicule and endless parodies for his "Sidhuism."
| Related Links |
