Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday filed his nomination from Amritsar (East) and challenged his archrival Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia to fight only from this constituency."If you have guts, and have faith in people then leave Majitha and fight from one seat here. Fight! Do you have the guts?" Sidhu told the media after filing the nomination papers.Sidhu said they have come to play the spoilsport but will not succeed in this 'dharam yudh'.Majithia filed his papers from Amritsar (East) on Friday and dubbed the cricketer-turned-politician a "fraud and cheat".The poll fight has become a clash of two titans -- Sidhu versus Majithia, one of the most powerful SAD leaders.Besides contesting from the Amritsar (East) constituency, Majithia, who is brother-in-law of SAD President Sukhbir Badal, is also contesting from Majitha near Amritsar.
While announcing his candidature this week, Badal said Majithia would contest against Sidhu "to dismantle his arrogance".The Sidhu-Majithia duo have had heated exchanges on several occasions in the Assembly. Sidhu has been training guns against Majithia over his alleged connections with drug cartels.Booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act last month, Majithia has secured protection from arrest from the Supreme Court till January 31.Considered a Congress stronghold, Amritsar (East), the seat that came into being after 2012 delimitation, has backed Sidhu and his namesake wife Navjot Kaur.In 2017, the cricketer-turned-politician not only defeated his BJP rival Rajesh Honey with a big margin of over 42,000 votes but also played a role of a game-changer for the party by winning 10 out of the 11 seats in Amritsar district, once the citadel of the SAD-BJP combine.