Revival of Congress in Punjab will be my gift to Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka: Navjot Sidhu

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday claimed that the grand old party will come to power after the Punjab elections, asserting that the victory would be a gift to the Gandhi family.

"We are sure that this time Congress will form the government and this will be out gift to Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka ji and Sonia madam. From here, politics of hope will triumph. Captain sahib (Amarinder) is our leader and I am giving congratulation in advance to Sonia madam and Rahul," he said to the media here after casting his vote.

Sidhu further signalled that a win in Punjab elections would act as a revival for the Congress.

Taking potshots at the incumbent government, Sidhu said, "Here there is no anti incumbency, this is just hatred towards the present regime. This hatred will reflect by 70 percent of the polling."

Sidhu is contesting the Punjab Assembly elections this time from the Amritsar East constituency.

His wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu quit as a BJP legislator to join the Congress, but is not contesting this year's assembly elections.

Sidhu spent months in negotiations with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress before deciding on the latter as his next political posting.

He joined in January and has since been a star campaigner for his new party, drawing mega crowds.

Sidhu was a BJP member of Parliament from Amritsar in Punjab for ten years before the party decided to field now union minister Arun Jaitley from the constituency instead in 2014, which eventually led to the cricketer-turned-politician quitting the party last year.

The state is polling for 117 Punjab assembly seats that will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates began today.

Punjab is witnessing a three-cornered contest between ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, opposition Congress and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party.