Even though the Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule for the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already started its campaign. On Sunday, AAP opened its election office at Welcome Palace on Malhar Road in Ludhiana.
Punjab Cabinet Minister and AAP’s state president Aman Arora, speaking at the event, strongly criticized the Congress party. He referred to the ongoing tension between Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
Arora questioned how voters could trust a party where the state president and the candidate reportedly do not even speak to each other. “When one visits, the other gets upset. This is the state of Congress,” he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora is AAP’s candidate for the bypoll. The seat became vacant after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. Gogi had defeated Ashu in the 2022 Assembly elections.
The Congress has again fielded Bharat Bhushan Ashu as its candidate. Recently, Warring went to meet Ashu at his house, but the meeting did not happen. Warring claimed he informed Ashu in advance, while Ashu said he didn’t know about the visit.
Aman Arora also took a dig at Ashu, referring to his alleged anger issues. He promoted AAP’s slogan for the bypoll: “Na gussa, na hankaar, Sanjeev Arora iss vaar” (No anger, no arrogance, vote for Sanjeev Arora this time).
AAP leaders described Sanjeev Arora as a development-focused leader with a clean image. They said he understands the needs of the business community, which forms a major part of the Ludhiana West constituency.
The launch event featured drum beats and a Sikh prayer ceremony (ardas). Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond also spoke at the event, calling Arora a “diamond” in politics and predicting a big win for him.
AAP leaders said party workers have been visiting households for two months and claimed they found many fake voters listed by rival parties.
The party has officially begun its campaign and plans to intensify its outreach in the coming days.
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