Sonia Gandhi among 40 star Congress campaigners

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are among the party’s list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls. But the surprise on the list is cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has largely been away from active party politics since he quit the Punjab cabinet in July last year over sharp differences with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Mr Sidhu was dropped as a Congress campaigner for the Haryana election last year. The outspoken leader’s bonhomie with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan — Mr Sidhu had attended his oath ceremony — became awkward for the Congress, with the Punjab CM complaining that he never asked for his permission to attend the event across the border. Photos of Mr Sidhu hugging Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa also embarrassed the party.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as chief ministers of Congress-ruled states — Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and V. Narayanasamy (Puducherry) — apart from the Punjab CM also figure in the Congress’ list of star campaigners that has been sent to the Election Commission by the party.

The Congress has announced names of 66 candidates for the election to the 70-member Delhi Assembly and it is likely to leave four seats for its ally RJD.

Congress’ Delhi unit chief Subhash Chopra, campaign committee chief Kirti Azad, AICC in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko and NSUI chief Neeraj Kundan, will also campaign for various candidates in the high-stakes poll battle.

Former chief ministers Harish Rawat and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, senior leaders Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad, are also among the star campaigners.

Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor, who has been aggressively taking on the AAP and had launched the party’s campaign in Delhi, will also canvass for various candidates for the party.

Polling will be held on February 8 for the 70-member Delhi Assembly and the results will be declared on February 11.

The Congress is seeking to revive its fortunes in the national capital this time. It had won just eight seats in 2013 and drew a blank in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls.