Ludhiana 26 February — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has named Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the Ludhiana West assembly byelection, national general secretary Sandeep Pathak announced in a post on X on Wednesday.
The byelection date is yet to be declared. The seat fell vacant after AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died of a gunshot injury at his home on January 10, reportedly due to the accidental discharge of his licensed weapon.
Arora, an industrialist from Ludhiana, has been a Rajya Sabha member since 2022.
His nomination is seen as a strategic move by AAP amid speculation that it could pave the way for party convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to enter the Rajya Sabha from Ludhiana. Kejriwal, who lost his New Delhi seat in the recent Delhi assembly elections, currently holds no constitutional position.
Gogi’s family had sought the party ticket for the byelection, but AAP reportedly opted against it, especially after his wife Sukhchain Kaur lost in the recent municipal corporation elections.
Meanwhile, the Congress is expected to field former state cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP have yet to announce their candidates.
