The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won the Ludhiana West by-election, giving a major boost to the party. Sanjeev Arora, the winning candidate, will soon be made a Cabinet minister in Punjab.
Arora, a well-known industrialist, is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. He will now resign from the Rajya Sabha to take up his new role as an MLA and minister. His resignation will open a Rajya Sabha seat for another senior party leader.
During Arora’s campaign, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal had promised that Arora would be made a minister if he won. The exact department Arora will handle hasn’t been announced yet. Sources say that one current minister might step down, and some departments may be reshuffled.
This bypoll win is very important for AAP. The party had recently lost in the Delhi Assembly elections in February, so this victory comes as a big morale boost. The Ludhiana West seat became vacant after the sudden death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi.
AAP made this election a prestige fight. Senior leaders like Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, CM Bhagwant Mann, and Arvind Kejriwal, along with Mann’s wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, campaigned strongly.
Ludhiana West is home to many traders and Hindu voters, who usually support the BJP. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu had also won from this seat in 2012 and 2017, making the contest even tougher for AAP. But Arora, a first-time contestant with no political baggage, proved to be a strong choice.
With over 19 months left before the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, this win gives AAP new energy and confidence.
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