New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has officially designated its Rajya Sabha member, Sanjiv Arora, as the candidate for the upcoming Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, which has led to speculation regarding Arvind Kejriwal’s potential entry into Parliament.
Sanjiv Arora, an industrialist from Ludhiana, has served in the Rajya Sabha since 2022. His candidacy for the bypoll follows the vacancy created by the passing of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi last month.
The schedule for the bypoll has yet to be revealed.
Is Arvind Kejriwal poised to join the Rajya Sabha?
Amit Malviya, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT cell, commented on Sanjiv Arora’s nomination, questioning whether this decision was aimed at facilitating Arvind Kejriwal’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, especially after he recently lost his own seat in New Delhi.
Malviya further suggested in a post on X that it would be more appropriate for a representative from Punjab to hold the position rather than Kejriwal.
BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill raised concerns regarding the AAP’s decision to nominate Sanjeev Arora for the Ludhiana West bypoll. He posed three critical questions regarding the rationale behind this choice: “Is Kejriwal seeking a position in the Rajya Sabha? Is he looking for government accommodation in Delhi? Is he experiencing a significant fear of missing out on power after recent electoral losses?”
Shergill further inquired whether AAP had requested Arora to relinquish his seat to satisfy Kejriwal’s apparent desire for “3P: power, perks, and privileges.”
Following a significant defeat in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, where BJP’s Parvesh Verma triumphed over the former Chief Minister in the New Delhi constituency, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appears to be redirecting his attention towards Punjab. He is strategizing to enhance his party’s position in the state ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, with two years available for preparation.
Amit Malviya questioned whether AAP had assured Arora a ministerial position contingent upon his victory in the bypoll and subsequent resignation from his seat. He condemned such transactional politics, urging the electorate in Ludhiana to defeat Sanjeev Arora to prevent him from offering his seat to Arvind Kejriwal without facing consequences.
In response, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar refuted the speculation regarding Kejriwal’s potential entry into Parliament. “Arvind Kejriwal is not pursuing a Rajya Sabha seat,” she stated to news agency ANI. She noted that previous rumors suggested he might become the Chief Minister of Punjab, and now there are claims about him contesting for the Rajya Sabha. “Both assertions are entirely incorrect. Arvind Kejriwal serves as the national convenor of AAP. While his ambitions are indeed substantial, he is not confined to a single seat,” Kakkar emphasized.
It is noteworthy that the announcement of Arora’s candidacy occurred just a day after Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab and a Congress leader, asserted that Kejriwal’s entry into the Rajya Sabha is imminent.
Bajwa indicated that Kejriwal had initially contemplated entering Parliament via the seat of the late AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi but ultimately decided against it due to fears of potential backlash in Punjab.
In an interview with the news agency ANI, Bajwa asserted that Kejriwal’s entry into Parliament is certain to occur.
He also remarked, “There is likely some validity to the rumors concerning Arora sahab,” referring to the speculation about AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora possibly contesting the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election.
