AAP Selects RS Member for Ludhiana (West) Assembly Bypoll
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Synopsis
The Aam Aadmi Party has declared Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as their candidate for the Ludhiana (West) Assembly byelection, following the seat's vacancy due to the passing of Gurpreet Gogi Bassi.
Key Takeaways
- AAP names Sanjeev Arora for Ludhiana (West) byelection.
- Seat vacant due to Gurpreet Gogi Bassi's death.
- Speculations about Arvind Kejriwal's potential Rajya Sabha move.
- ED previously raided Arora's residence over land fraud case.
- Arora expresses gratitude for the nomination.
Chandigarh, Feb 26 (NationPress) The Aam Aadmi Party has officially named Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the upcoming Ludhiana (West) Assembly byelection.
By choosing the current MP, political analysts speculate that Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, who recently experienced a significant loss in the Delhi Assembly elections, might be considering a move to the Rajya Sabha if Arora secures victory in the bypoll.
The Ludhiana (West) seat became vacant following the tragic passing of Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, aged 58, who succumbed to injuries from a gunshot wound at his residence last month.
The Election Commission of India has yet to release the schedule for the election.
In an intriguing development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid at Arora's residence in Ludhiana back in October 2024 as part of an investigation into money laundering associated with a land ‘fraud’ case.
This investigation centered around a parcel of land allocated to Ritesh Properties and Industries Limited, one of Arora’s companies, by the state government for industrial use, which was instead utilized for residential purposes.
Gogi had joined AAP in 2022 and overcame two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu during the 2022 Assembly elections.
In response to his nomination, Arora expressed on X, “I am humbled and grateful to the leadership of Aam Aadmi Party for their confidence in me to run for the Ludhiana West bye-elections. As someone deeply connected to my hometown, I am eager to serve my community with dedication and sincerity.”
The seven Rajya Sabha MPs include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, environmentalist and spiritual leader Balbir Singh Seechewal, entrepreneur Vikramjit Singh Sahney, along with Sanjeev Arora.
Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by a margin exceeding 4,000 votes in the recent Assembly elections.
Insiders within the party indicated that all six Punjab-based AAP Rajya Sabha MPs had offered their seats to Kejriwal, but the former Chief Minister of Delhi declined the proposition.
