Sanjeev Arora, the Rajya Sabha MP from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was named as the candidate for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll in Punjab. The announcement sparked speculation that the former ruling party in Delhi could be preparing the ground for its national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, to enter Parliament via Rajya Sabha.
AAP has seven members in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab -- Pathak, Raghav Chadha, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and industrialist Vikramjit Singh.
The former Delhi chief minister had lost the New Delhi legislative assembly seat to BJP minister Parvesh Singh Sahib Verma in the recently concluded Delhi assembly election.
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Who is Sanjeev Arora?
Sanjiv Arora is a Ludhiana-based industrialist who runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust in Punjab.
Sanjiv Arora is a graduate from Bachelor of Commerce from SCD Government College in Ludhiana. According to his election affidavit, he owns assets worth over ₹460 crore and his liabilities are over ₹37 crore.
The 61-year-old has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2022.
{{/usCountry}}The 61-year-old has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2022.
{{/usCountry}}Sanjiv Arora said he was grateful to the party leadership for fielding him in the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, for which the dates have not been announced.
“Humbled and grateful to the leadership AAP 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,” Sanjiv Arora said in a post on X.
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AAP dismissed rumours
The party's Punjab spokesperson Neel Garg dubbed the claims as rumours.
“The bypoll date has not been announced yet. They (opposition parties) have started spreading rumours. There is no truth in it. Who goes to the Rajya Sabha will be decided when the bypoll result comes. The best candidate will be sent to the Rajya Sabha,” Garg told PTI.