Trident's Rajinder Gupta set to replace Sanjeev Arora as AAP's Rajya Sabha MP

Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to field industrialist Rajinder Gupta for the October 24 Rajya Sabha bypoll from Punjab, a seat that fell vacant after Sanjeev Arora resigned from the Upper House following his election to the state assembly.

Arora, whose Rajya Sabha term ran until April 9, 2028, is now a minister in the Bhagwant Mann cabinet. His move to the assembly came after he retained Ludhiana West for AAP in June, defeating Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes. The assembly bypoll had been necessitated by the death of sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.

Speculation around Gupta’s candidature intensified after the Trident Group chairman emeritus stepped down as vice chairman of the State Economic Policy and Planning Board and as chairperson of the Kali Devi temple advisory committee. With AAP commanding a comfortable majority in the 117 member Punjab assembly, its nominee is seen as the clear favourite.

Talk that Arvind Kejriwal might use the vacancy to enter the Rajya Sabha was laid to rest in June. The AAP chief said the party’s political affairs committee would decide the nominee and clarified he would not move to the Upper House.

AAP is expected to formalise its pick in the coming days. If nominated, Gupta would succeed Arora and represent Punjab in the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the term.