Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday took over as the new chief of the Punjab Congress at an event held in Chandigarh, which was attended by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Hours ahead of his elevation ceremony, Sidhu met Amarinder Singh over tea. It signalled truce in the dissension-driven party which faces the challenge of retaining Punjab in election six months from now.

The morning tea-meeting followed an invitation extended by Navjot Sidhu in a letter to Amarinder Singh seeking his presence at his elevation ceremony.

In that letter, Navjot Sidhu also said he had “no personal agenda”, another indication that the cricketer-turned-politician is expecting a smoother run to the Punjab Assembly election 2022.

“My resolve and commitment on Punjab’s issues and fulfilling high command’s pro-people 18-point agenda for the welfare of every Punjabi is well-known to you and all,” Navjot Sidhu said in his letter to Amarinder Singh.

“Thus, as the eldest of our Punjab Congress family, I request you to please come and bless the new team,” Navjot Sidhu said.

Navjot Sidhu had an acrimonious tussle with Amarinder Singh before he was appointed as the Punjab Congress chief by Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier this week

Amarinder Singh’s camp confirmed that he would attend Navjot Sidhu’s elevation ceremony. Earlier, Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat, who also attended Navjot Sidhu’s elevation ceremony, had met Amarinder Singh as the Punjab Congress witnessed the leadership transition

Navjot Sindh Sidhu’s elevation ceremony: Top developments

1. Navjot Singh Sidhu took over as the new chief of the Punjab Congress at an event held in Chandigarh in presence of Amarinder Singh. A day before Navjot Sidhu’s elevation ceremony, Amarinder Singh had invited party leaders for tea on Friday as a gesture to welcome the new Congress team under Navjot Singh

2. This was their first meeting in recent times as they had been involved in a political tug-of-war over various issues. Navjot Sidhu criticised Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief minister, who, in turn, opposed his elevation as the Punjab Congress chief.

3. This comes after Kuljit Singh Nagra and Sangat Singh Gilzian, two of the four newly appointed working presidents for the state party unit, extended a formal invite to the CM Amarinder Singh at his farmhouse in Mohali’s Siswan for the elevation ceremony.

4. Amarinder Singh had earlier said he won’t meet Navjot Sidhu until the cricketer-turned-politician apologised for his “derogatory” tweets against him. However, after Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed Navjot Sidhu as the new president of the party’s Punjab unit, Amarinder Singh had no choice but accept the party high command’s decision.

5. Several MLAs backing Navjot Sidhu said that there was no need for him to tender an apology to Amarinder Singh. Navjot Sidhu’s camp said he would not apologise to Amarinder Singh for his remarks against the Punjab chief minister.

6. Tensions between Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu flared up in April this year after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed a probe report into 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident. Navjot Sidhu had attacked the chief minister putting out tweets blaming Amarinder Singh for delay in ensuring justice in the 2015-sacrilege case and subsequent police firing incidents.

7. Navjot Sidhu, on his part, prepared well for his elevation ceremony. After getting the word from the Congress high command, Navjot Sidhu held a series of meetings in Punjab Congress sending a clear message that he was the one with the “blessings” from 10, Janpath in New Delhi.

8. Navjot Sidhu in a show of strength held a meeting with Punjab MLAs belonging to the Congress. He took 62 MLAs from Chandigarh to Amritsar to offer prayer at the Golden Temple. The delegation included ministers in the Amarinder Singh government.

9. However, the day of Navjot Sidhu’s elevation ceremony began on a sombre note for the Punjab Congress chief as a bus carrying Congress workers to the event met with an accident. Several Congress workers were reported dead.

10. Captain Amarinder Singh was among the first Congress leaders to put out a tweet offering condolences on the demise of the party workers.