New Delhi, 26 February 2025 — The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decision to field sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora for the Ludhiana West by-election has triggered sharp reactions from opposition leaders, who allege the move is part of a larger plan for Arvind Kejriwal’s entry into the Upper House.
BJP leader and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu questioned the move, calling it a calculated step by Kejriwal.
“Is Arvind Kejriwal plotting his own Rajya Sabha entry? Is he desperate for a government bungalow in Delhi? The man will go to any extent to maintain his dictatorship. Greed has no limits!” Bittu said in a post on X.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya and Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin also suggested that Arora’s nomination was linked to Kejriwal’s Rajya Sabha aspirations.
Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa accused Kejriwal of trying to control Punjab from behind the scenes.
“If Kejriwal becomes a Rajya Sabha member, he will run Punjab as the ‘Undercover Chief Minister.’ The face will be of Bhagwant Mann, but the control will be his,” Randhawa posted on X, adding that Kejriwal’s ultimate goal was to replace Mann as Punjab CM.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also criticized the move, alleging Punjab was once again being subordinated to Delhi. “AAP has nominated Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora for Ludhiana West. Now he will resign as MP, and in his place, Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia will be made a Rajya Sabha member. Punjab is paying the price, but Bhagwant Mann is unfazed,” Majithia said.
Amid speculation, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar dismissed the claims as baseless. “Arvind Kejriwal is not going to Rajya Sabha. Earlier, media sources claimed he would become Punjab’s Chief Minister; now they say he will enter the Rajya Sabha. Both are absolutely wrong,” Kakkar said, adding that Kejriwal remains focused on his role as AAP’s national convener.
