Punjab bye-elections: Capt Amarinder, Sidhu among Congress' 40 star campaigners

The Congress party has released the list of star campaigners for the bye-elections in four assembly constituencies of Phagwara, Mukerian, Dakha, and Jalalabad in Punjab.

The list of forty 'star campaigners' includes Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, AICC general secretary Asha Kumari, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Rajya Sabha MPs Ambika Soni and Pratap Singh Bajwa and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The other prominent leaders in the list are Congress spokesperson Msh Tewari and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal.

Bye-polls in all four assembly seats of the state are scheduled to take place on October 21 and the results will be declared on October 24.

Captain Amarinder and Sidhu had been at loggerheads since the former cricketer's controversial visit to Pakistan for the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan last year where he had hugged Pakistan Army Chief leading to a huge controversy back home.

The rift further widened during the General Elections when Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu accused Amarinder of having a hand in denying ticket to her either from Chandigarh or Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

On June 6, the Congress leader was stripped of the portfolios of Local Government and Tourism and Culture by Chief Minister Singh after the party won eight parliamentary seats out of 13 in Punjab.

( With inputs from ANI )