Arora (61), an industrialist from Ludhiana, will relinquish his Rajya Sabha seat to engage in state politics. This transition allows AAP to nominate a new member for the Upper House, igniting speculation about Kejriwal possibly filling that role.
Prior to the elections, there were strategic discussions within political circles regarding Arora’s candidacy for the bypoll. After losing his New Delhi MLA seat in the February elections, AAP viewed this bypoll win as crucial for Kejriwal.
Should Kejriwal decide to accept a Parliamentary role, it would bolster his standing within the INDIA bloc as a Rajya Sabha MP, complementing his position as an Opposition leader.
The calculation
From a numbers perspective, it would be straightforward for any AAP candidate to secure a Rajya Sabha position. The Punjab Assembly comprises 117 members, with AAP holding 94 seats, Congress 16, Shiromani Akali Dal three, BJP two, and Bahujan Samaj Party one. One seat belongs to an Independent.
An AAP candidate requires 60 votes to gain entry into the Upper House. The calculation is (total votes in the Punjab Assembly / number of seats) + 1. Here, (117/1) + 1 results in 59.5, which rounds up to 60.
Regarding the candidate selection, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj stated to ANI, “As far as the Rajya Sabha seat is concerned, the leadership, the PAC will sit together, discuss and send a good candidate.”
Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema extended congratulations to Arora on his victory. “I want to express my gratitude to all voters in Ludhiana for this success. Congratulations to our party leaders, national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, CM Bhagwant Mann, Sanjeev Arora, and all party workers. This win reflects the strength of our party, our government, our initiatives, and our policies… I believe AAP will regain the government in Punjab in 2027…”
The Ludhiana West assembly seat became vacant after the passing of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January, with a total of 14 candidates contesting the by-election.
AAP currently boasts seven Rajya Sabha members from Punjab:
1. Sandeep Pathak
2. Raghav Chadha
3. Harbhajan Singh (former cricketer)
4. Ashok Mittal
5. Balbir Singh Seechewal (environmentalist)
6. Vikramjit Singh Sahney (industrialist)
7. Sanjeev Arora (winner of the bypoll)
