Ludhiana West bypoll: AAP's Sanjeev Arora files nomination

Chandigarh, May 30 (PTI) AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora on Friday filed his nomination papers for the June 19 Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll.

Before filing of nomination papers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a roadshow in Ludhiana, in which party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi chief minister Atishi and AAP Punjab chief Aman Arora participated.

Addressing a gathering during the roadshow, Kejriwal said, "In the 2022 (assembly polls), people of Punjab gave us an overwhelming, historic mandate. No other party has got such a big mandate... We had also won from the Ludhiana West seat then." The Ludhiana West seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. Arora (61) is a Ludhiana-based industrialist.

"Sanjeev Arora is our party candidate for the bypolls. One doesn't need to introduce Sanjeev Arora, the entire Ludhiana knows about him," Kejriwal said.

"Like (Narendra) Modi ji says 'sindoor' runs in his (PM's) veins. Don't know whether 'sindoor' runs in his veins or not, but in Sanjeev Arora's veins, Ludhiana does," he said while taking a dig at the prime minister for his remarks in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor that 'sindoor' runs in his veins.

"Sanjeev Arora is concerned about people of Ludhiana and keeps asking the CM about having this road built, this hospital built, he is concerned about Ludhiana's development. You will not get a better candidate than this," he asserted.

Kejriwal said if people want work and development they must vote for Arora.

In a veiled attack on Arora's Congress rival in the bypolls Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Kejriwal said in the 2022 assembly polls the people of the constituency broke his "arrogance" and this time too they will.

The Congress has fielded Ashu, who served as MLA from the seat in 2012 and 2017.

Ashu was defeated by AAP's Gogi by a margin of 7,512 votes in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

Earlier, Ashu had claimed that his electoral fight was not against the AAP candidate, but Kejriwal, who was allegedly fighting for his own backdoor entry to Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

"If you want anger, arrogance then vote for the rival, but if you want work and want to elect the one who is dedicated for you, then vote for Sanjeev Arora," Kejriwal told the gathering.

In his address, Mann said, "Your enthusiasm says we are going to register an emphatic win from the seat".

The bypoll to Ludhiana West assembly seat in Punjab will take place on June 19 and the counting will be held on June 23.

The last date for filing nominations is June 2, and the scrutiny of nomination papers will occur on June 3. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is June 5. PTI SUN DV DV