The result was that Sidhu found himself politically isolated. Senior party leaders from Amritsar, including cabinet minister Anil Joshi, openly opposed his re-nomination from the seat and demanded that Jaitley be fielded instead.
Sidhu's only support came from his wife and BJP legislator Navjot Kaur, who is chief parliamentary secretary in the Badal government.
The upshot was that when Jaitley, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, arrived in Amritsar, Sidhu was conspicuous by his absence despite being the incumbent MP.
The rest of the BJP and Akali Dal leadership was present in full strength to welcome Jaitley.
