Navjot Singh Sidhu likely to join Congress on Saturday

He was to join on Tuesday but he remained unavailable and did not turn up

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and is likely to join the party on Saturday.

Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi on Thursday afternoon for 30 minutes, according to informed sources.

A party source said that Sidhu had also met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday to discuss the date of his formal induction into the party.

"Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi yesterday (Wednesday). The joining is likely to happen on Saturday," said the party source.

Sidhu was to join the Congress on Tuesday but he remained "incommunicado" and did not turn up.

The Congress did not announce its candidate for Amritsar (East) assembly constituency in its third list of 23 candidates released on Thursday.

Sidhu is likely to contest from the constituency, from where his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was a member of the Punjab assembly.

The Congress has so far released names of its 100 candidates and is yet to select candidates for the remaining 17 seats for elections to the 117-member assembly. The polls are to be held on February 4.