The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s move to field its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora in an assembly bypoll has set off a buzz that party chief Arvind Kejriwal may replace him in the Upper House after his recent poll defeat ended his Delhi assembly membership. The AAP has denied this.
The AAP announced this morning that Mr Arora will contest the by-election to Ludhiana West, which had fallen vacant last month after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi in an accidental firing while cleaning his pistol.
Mr Arora, a businessman, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022 from Punjab, and his tenure is set to end in 2028. But since a member cannot hold two offices, he must resign from the parliament if he wins the bypoll and wishes to continue as an MLA. In that case, his vacant Rajya Sabha seat may be allotted to Mr Kejriwal.
The AAP has denied any such move so far though it is said to be holding discussions in this regard. Party spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said such reports are “absolutely wrong” and that Mr Kejriwal is not limited to just a seat.
“Arvind Kejriwal is not going to Rajya Sabha. As far as Arvind Kejriwal is concerned, media sources were earlier saying that he will become the Chief Minister of Punjab. Now, media sources are saying that he will contest from Rajya Sabha. Both these sources are absolutely wrong. Arvind Kejriwal is the national convenor of AAP. I agree that his demand is very high, but he is not limited to any one seat,” she said.
Accepting the ticket from Ludhiana West, Mr Arora thanked the AAP leadership in an online post that was devoid of any mention of Mr Kejriwal.
“Humbled and grateful to the leadership Aam Aadmi Party for reposing faith in me to contest the Ludhiana West bye-elections. As someone deeply connected to my hometown, I look forward to serving my people with dedication and sincerity,” said the AAP leader.
Sources suggest that he can also be made a minister in the Bhagwant Mann government if he wins the by-election – as a reward for giving up his seat for the party boss.
Punjab is currently the best bet for Mr Kejriwal after his party lost power in Delhi after a decade. Since vacating the government bungalow after resigning as Chief Minister last year, he has been living in Delhi at another Punjab MP Ashok Mittal’s house.
Unlike Mr Arora, Mr Kejriwal has no membership hurdle in joining the Rajya Sabha since his Delhi assembly membership was snatched by the BJP’s Parvesh Verma in the recent elections. With party leader Atishi becoming Leader of the Opposition, he is also free to focus on the national arena.
Earlier, there were rumours that Mr Kejriwal may take over as the Punjab Chief Minister, but Bhagwant Mann had laughed it off.
