Ludhiana (West) byelection to be conducted on June 19
The Election Commission (EC) has finally declared June 19 as the date for Ludhiana byelection. The notification in this regard will be issued on May 26. As per the schedule, the last date for filing nominations will be June 2, scrutiny of the papers will be done on June 3 and June 5 will be the date for withdrawal of candidature. The counting will be on June 23. Ludhiana (West) constituency bypoll are being held following the demise of sitting MLA from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Gurpreet Bassi Gogi.
Sibin C, Chief Electoral Officer, said that the nomination papers could be submitted on all days from May 26 to June 2, except Sunday, June 1. Polling time will be from 7 am to 6 pm.
Following the announcement of the election date candidates of major parties swung into action by holding meetings with workers and supporters. With this, the code of conduct has also been implemented with immediate effect in the constituency. With code in force, it is expected that now candidates will remove all their posters and banners as a vigil will be kept on their campaigning expenditure. All advertisements will be allowed, keeping in mind the total budget given to the candidates.
Punjab Congress working president and party candidate for the byelection Bharat Bhushan Ashu welcomed the announcement. In an informal interaction with reporters after the announcement, he said, “We were waiting for the date for the final battle and it has been announced by the EC today.” Expressing confidence about his party’s performance, he said, “We are determined as the Congress will give its best in this battle.”
At the same time, he said the final decision lies with the people of Ludhiana (W) and “we leave our case with the people with all humility and will respect their choice”. Ashu expressed confidence that the people of Ludhiana had tried and tested everyone and they would make the right choice this time. “They have seen me and others as well and they are the best judges,” he remarked.
AAP MP Sanjeev Arora has been actively campaigning for nearly three months, holding extensive public outreach programmes throughout Ludhiana (West). Reacting to the announcement of the election date, he stated, “The official declaration of the election date has brought clarity and new energy to my campaign. I have been engaging with the people of Ludhiana (West) for the past several weeks, and now I will move ahead with greater focus and urgency. I appeal to every voter to come forward and participate actively in this democratic process. This is not just an election, it’s an opportunity to shape the future of our constituency with a clean, responsive and development-oriented leadership.”
With the schedule now official, Arora’s campaign has shifted into a more aggressive phase. He said, “I am committed to working tirelessly for the development of Ludhiana, with a focus on improving healthcare, education and infrastructure. My vision is to make Ludhiana a model constituency, where every citizen feels heard, respected and empowered.”
Paropkar Singh Ghuman, SAD candidate, said that he welcomed the declaration of the date of election. "Residents of Ludhiana (W) are my family and I am indebted to all who have given me immense love and blessings in the last one month of my campaign. I have a clear vision of improving law and order, infrastructure development and financial uplift of industry and farm sector," said Ghuman.
