Navjot Singh Sidhu is an Indian politician, television personality, and former cricketer who was born on October 20, 1963, in Patiala, Punjab, India. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party and has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Amritsar, Punjab. Before he entered politics, Sidhu was a renowned cricketer and played for the Indian cricket team from 1983 to 1999. He was known for his aggressive batting style and scored several memorable innings for India. After retiring from cricket, Sidhu became a television personality and was a popular cricket commentator and host of the TV show “The Kapil Sharma Show”. Despite the controversies and ups and downs in his political career, Sidhu remains a prominent figure in Indian politics and continues to be active in public life.
| Bio | |
| Nickname(s) | Sixer Sidhu, Sheri Paaji and Sidhu Paaji |
| Profession(s) | Cricketer, Politician, and Commentator |
| Political Party | • Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- 2004-2016 • Indian National Congress (INC)- 2017-present
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| Political Journey | • Won the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections from Amritsar on a BJP ticket. • Won the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections by defeating Congress’ Om Prakash Soni by 6858 votes from Amritsar. • Did not contest the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections from any constituency; after Arun Jaitley was given the ticket from Amritsar. • Became a Rajya Sabha Member on 28 April 2016. • Resigned from the Rajya Sabha on 18 July 2016. • In 2016, he formed a new political front – Aawaaz-e-Punjab along with Pargat Singh and Bains brothers. • Joined the Indian National Congress in January 2017. • Won the 2017 Punjab Assembly Elections from Amritsar East and became a Minister of Local Bodies. • In the cabinet reshuffle of the Amarinder Singh Government, he was allocated the Ministry of Power and New and Renewable Energy Sources. • On 14 July 2019, he twitted a copy of his resignation from the Punjab Cabinet, dated 10 June 2019, and addressed it to Rahul Gandhi.  • On 18 July 2021, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed him president of the Punjab Congress Committee. • On 28 September 2021, he resigned as the chief of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, but his resignation was rejected by the high command. [1] On 5 November 2021, he took back his resignation as Punjab Congress chief. [2] • He lost the Amritsar East seat to AAP candidate Jeevanjyot Kaur by a margin of over 6,000 votes in the 2022 Punjab assembly election. [3] |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 188 cm in meters- 1.88 m in Feet Inches- 6’ 2” |
| Eye Colour | Light Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Cricket | |
| International Debut | Test– 12 November 1983 vs West Indies at Ahmedabad ODI– 9 October 1987 vs Australia at Chennai |
| Domestic/State Team | Punjab |
| Likes to play against | Pakistan |
| Favorite shots | Hitting over the top |
| Records (main ones) | • His highest ODI score of 134 against England at Gwalior in 1993. • He made a unique record of getting 500 Test runs in a year thrice, in 1993, 1994, and 1997. • He became the first Indian cricketer to score 5 centuries in ODI. • His epic 11 hours at the cricket crease against West Indies in 1996–97, where he made 201 runs. |
| Career Turning Point | When he was selected for the 1987 Cricket World Cup. |
| Favorite Cricketer | Batsman: Sachin Tendulkar |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 20 October 1963 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 58 Years |
| Birthplace | Patiala, Punjab, India |
| Zodiac sign | Libra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Patiala, Punjab, India |
| School | Yadavindra Public School, Patiala |
| College | Mohindra College, Panjab University, Chandigarh |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Family | Father– Late Sardar Bhagwant Singh (Cricketer) Mother– Late Nirmal Sidhu  Brother– None Sisters– Suman Toor, Late Neelam Mahajan |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Caste | Jat Sikh |
| Hobbies | Internet surfing and learning new things |
| Controversies | • In 1988, he had a road rage incident, for which he was convicted in 2006, but after appealing to the Supreme Court, his sentence was suspended. • He was accused by Star India of breaching a contractual agreement by working as a commentator for Set Max’s Indian Premier League 2014. • The All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) complained to him to Akal Takht for twisting words from Gurubani. • On 18 August 2018, he was among the special guests present at the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President House) in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he hugged the Pakistani army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, for which he was highly criticized in India.
• In December 2021, he courted controversy for making a derogatory remark against policemen while praising two party members. During a rally in Sultanpur Lodhi, Sidhu pointed toward sitting MLA Navtej Singh Cheema and said he can “make a thanked (policeman) wet his pants.” Sidhu was slammed over the purported remark by many including former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema. Dilsher Singh Chandel, Chandigarh Deputy Superintendent of Police, issued a defamation notice against Sidhu. Chandel said, “I have sent a defamation notice to him for humiliating the police.” [4] • On 19 May 2022, the Supreme Court sentenced him to one year of “rigorous imprisonment” in a road-rage incident that took place in 1988 in which a man was killed. Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered Mr. Sidhu to pay a fine of Rs. 1,000 in the same case in 2018. Reportedly, on 27 December 1988, Sidhu argued with a man named Gurnam Singh, a resident of Patiala, over a parking spot after which Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu dragged Gurnam from his car and hit him, and Gurnam later died in hospital. [5] |
| Girls, Family & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife/Spouse | Navjot Kaur Sidhu (Doctor and Politician)
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| Children | Daughter– Rabia Sidhu Son– Karan Sidhu |
| Style Quotient | |
| Cars Collection | Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Fortuner, Mini Cooper |
| Assets/Property | Movable Gold rings worth ₹15 lakh Watches worth ₹44 lakhImmovable Commercial- Commercial Chotti Baradari, PTA Showroom 146/5 Residential- Yadvindra Colony, PTA H.No. 26 |
| Money Factor | |
| Net Worth (approx.) | INR 50 crore (as of 2016) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Navjot Singh Sidhu
- Navjot Singh Sidhu was a cricketer before he entered politics. He played for the Indian cricket team from 1983 to 1999 and was known for his aggressive batting style.
- Sidhu is also a lawyer and has a degree in law from the University of Delhi.
- He has also worked as a television commentator and analyst for cricket matches and was a popular host of the TV show “The Kapil Sharma Show”.
- Sidhu has been a member of several political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress (INC), and the Awaaz-e-Punjab party.
- In 2006, Sidhu was convicted of manslaughter for a road rage incident and was sentenced to three years in prison. However, he appealed the decision and was ultimately acquitted.
- He is known for his famous one-liners and quotes, such as “I will not run away from a battle I have not lost” and “Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital”.
- Sidhu has also authored a book called “Sikhism: A Complete Introduction” which provides an overview of the Sikh religion and its practices.
- He has been a strong advocate for Punjab’s farmers and has spoken out against the Indian government’s agricultural reforms.
- Sidhu is married and has two children, a son, and a daughter.
- He is a philanthropist and has been involved in several charitable initiatives, such as setting up a cancer hospital in his hometown of Patiala.