Navjot Singh Sidhu might have clean bowled the BJP in Punjab

When it rains, it pours.

Fresh from its setback in Arunachal Pradesh, the monsoon session of Parliament started with more bad news for the party.

BJP's face from Punjab and its nominated member in Rajya Sabha, Navjot Singh Sidhu, gave a rude jolt to the BJP by resigning from the RS, and by all indication, is all set to join the Aam Aadmi Party.

While this is being seen as a boost for the AAP, the BJP, caught completely unawares once again, was seen trying its level best to hide the embarrassment.

What must have come as a huge shock for the party is that in two back-to-back cases, the BJP was absolutely oblivious of what was happening on the ground.

Also read: Sidhu is going to join AAP to be its Punjab CM face

He wrote: "At behest of the PM, I had accepted RS nomination for welfare of Punjab. With closure of every window leading to Punjab, the purpose stands defeated. Now a mere burden, I prefer not to carry it."Navjot Singh Sidhu later issued a press release which was extremely caustic and telling in its tone and tenor.

In the war of right or wrong, you can't afford to be neutral and look after your own self-interest.

"Punjab's interest is paramount", said Sidhu in his statement and clearly revealed that he was feeling utterly stifled in the Punjab BJP.

Moreover, he clearly knew that time was running out for him. Sources close to him said that he plainly understood that the situation was a case of "now or never" for him.

He had to take a decisive step and stay relevant in Punjab, or be ready to become a footnote to the party narrative.

After Punjab poll and left with no significant role to play, he would have been as effective as a toothless tiger.

So how big a jolt is this for the BJP?

Insiders say that this is not that big a setback for the BJP but it is a major fillip to the AAP.

Irrespective of what the party says, already the wider perception of the SAD-BJP alliance can hardly be dubbed rosy, and in this scenario, the resignation of Sidhu won't really crash the world for the saffron party.

But what is extremely embarrassing for the party is the fact that despite the simmering discontent for more than two years, the BJP was unable to read the writing on the wall.

Navjot Singh Sidhu was made Rajya Sabha member despite the wish of a senior Cabinet minister. The decision to accommodate Siddhu was taken at a very high level.

Now with his resignation in less than two and a half month, Sidhu has left the BJP red-faced.

Also read:  AAP needs Sidhu, but will he get along with Kejriwal?

There is a section within the party which feels that all this drama could have been handled much more effectively if the party had applied its mind to it.

A senior BJP leader accepted that a person like Sidhu would definitely want to have a piece of action if an election is happening in his backyard.

So either the party should have given him some respectable role in it or should have inducted him in the reshuffle, which would have pacified his ego and given him a sense of purpose.

With neither, it was just a matter of time this debacle happened.

Obviously, the party reaction was on predicted lines with BJP Punjab chief saying that the party was in Punjab before him and would be there after him.

Naresh Gujral of the SAD also was cryptic in his reply. "I wish him all the best. Let him fight elections and he will know what he is up to."

On the other side of the political spectrum, the reaction was also on the expected lines. AAP was desperately looking for a face in Punjab which not only had charisma but also a pan-Punjab resonance.

Navjot Singh Sidhu ticked all the boxes as far as the AAP was concerned.

Sidhu's long standing feud with Bikram Majithia and his fight against the drug menace in Punjab had made him an ideal candidate for AAP.

It was clear to the party that Navjot Singh Sidhu was a force multiplier for them.

Sanjay Singh, who is Punjab in-charge for the AAP, welcomed the brave decision taken by Sidhu. He said: "Sidhu has been raising voice against the corruption of Akalis for a long time now. It's good that for a better Punjab, all the forces are uniting. In this fight of Dharma against Adharma, Sidhu is on our side."

Along with Navjot Singh Sidhu, his wife has also quit the BJP.

Though there are rumours in the informed quarters about Sidhu being made the CM candidate of the AAP, there is no independent confirmation of the same.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the next 48 hours when Sidhu is likely to meet Arvind Kejriwal and then join the party formally.

The battle for Punjab has just become a lot spicier.