Punjab Elections 2022: Akali Dal's Bikram Majithia to contest against Congress's Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar East

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia will contest against state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu in the February 20 assembly elections, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on January 26.

Majithia will also contest from Majitha seat, from where he was elected in 2017. Sidhu, who won from Amritsar East with a margin of over 42,000 votes in 2017, is contesting from the seat again.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia to contest the Punjab Assembly election against State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal pic.twitter.com/9ve5Zq8xP6

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— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2022

Majithia is accused in a case related to allowing illicit drugs smuggling and harbouring offenders involved in the drugs trade. On January 25, the Punjab and Haryana High Court  granted him protection against arrest for three days.

The protection was given to enable Majithia to approach the Supreme Court for challenging the dismissal of his bail application dismissed by the  High Court on January 24

Punjab is going to the polls in single phase on February 20.

READ: Punjab elections 2022: Seat-sharing pact inked, BJP to contest 65 seats, Captain's party 37

Majithia is SAD's general secretary and the brother-in-law of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal who was Punjab's deputy chief minister till 2017. The drug racket case was unearthed in 2013 and  Majithia's alleged involvement emerged in 2014.