Campaigning for the high-stakes Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll came to a close at 6 pm on Tuesday, marking the end of a heated electoral battle. With only a day left for polling, candidates have now shifted focus to door-to-door outreach in a final attempt to win over voters.
The byelection, scheduled for June 19, was necessitated following the death of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. A total of 14 candidates are contesting the seat, with 1,74,437 voters — including 89,602 men, 84,825 women and 10 third-gender individuals — eligible to cast their votes across 194 polling stations. Counting of votes will take place on June 23.
The ruling AAP has fielded Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, banking on its three-year governance record in Punjab and Arora’s clean image and development work, including his involvement in key infrastructure projects. The Congress has nominated Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a former cabinet minister and two-time MLA from the constituency, seeking to reclaim his stronghold after losing to Gogi in 2022. The BJP has put forward Jiwan Gupta, riding on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and central government schemes. The Shiromani Akali Dal is represented by Paropkar Singh Ghumman.
The final day of campaigning saw roadshows and rallies by all major parties, resulting in traffic disruptions across the city. To ensure law and order, Ludhiana police conducted a flag march across sensitive areas, displaying their preparedness for polling day.
During the campaign, AAP highlighted its governance record and development initiatives under Arora, while opposition parties — Congress and Akali Dal — raised issues such as unemployment, drug abuse, inflation, deteriorating law and order, and unfulfilled promises. The BJP focused on its 11-year rule at the Centre, the success of Operation Sindoor, and national leadership.
In the 2022 Assembly election, AAP’s Gogi had defeated Ashu by 7,512 votes, breaking his consecutive wins in 2012 and 2017. However, in the recent 2024 parliamentary election, Ludhiana West voted in favour of BJP’s Ravneet Singh Bittu, even as the larger Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat went to Congress’ Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
With campaigning now over, the political fate of Ludhiana West will be decided by voters on June 19, in what is being viewed as a crucial test for all major parties ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
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