Chandigarh, 26 February 2025 — Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan did not reject the possibility of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal securing a Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab, stating that any party can nominate anyone from anywhere.
“It is their right. What is the illegality in this? Even Manmohan Singh went to the Rajya Sabha from another state. The party will decide who will be fielded, and anyone they field I will welcome,” Sandhwan said.
AAP, however, dismissed speculation. Party spokesperson Neel Garg refuted claims that Kejriwal or former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would replace AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora if he resigns. “The BJP rumor mills are working overtime. As of now, the election for Ludhiana West has not even been announced. Arora has been chosen as the party candidate because of his popularity in Ludhiana. He has not even resigned as Rajya Sabha MP. He can contest the by-election without resigning,” Garg said.
Arora was nominated for the Ludhiana West bypoll, a seat that fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, who sustained a gunshot wound at his residence last month. The Election Commission has yet to announce the poll schedule.
Arora’s name has also been in the spotlight due to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe. In October 2024, the agency raided his residence in Ludhiana over alleged money laundering linked to a land fraud case. The probe focused on land allocated to Ritesh Properties and Industries Limited—one of Arora’s companies—for an industrial project that was allegedly repurposed for residential use.
Expressing gratitude for his nomination, Arora wrote on X, “Humbled and grateful to the leadership @AamAadmiParty for reposing faith in me to contest the Ludhiana West by-elections. As someone deeply connected to my hometown, I look forward to serving my people with dedication and sincerity.”
Kejriwal, who recently lost the New Delhi Assembly seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by over 4,000 votes, has reportedly declined offers from all six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab to vacate their seats for him.
Punjab’s seven Rajya Sabha MPs include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal, entrepreneur Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Arora.
