AAP leader hints at Kejriwal's Rajya Sabha entry from Punjab, says what's illegal in it

Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has stirred the hornet’s nest by not rejecting the idea of Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal from gaining entry into the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

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Though the party spokesperson Neel Garg denied that either Kejriwal or former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would get the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, as and when he resigns, Sandhwan said that any party can nominate anyone to the Rajya Sabha from anywhere.

“It is their right. What is the illegality in this? Even Manmohan Singh went to the Rajya Sabha from another state. The party will decide who will be fielded and anyone they field I will welcome it,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party had stated that the reason behind announcing Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the Ludhiana West by-election is to prepare its cadres well in advance for the election.

Opposition ramps up criticism as Kejriwal's Rajya Sabha entry buzz grows

Neel Garg, party spokesperson, dismissed speculation and rumors spread by rival political parties regarding either party supremo Arvind Kejriwal or senior leader Manish Sisodia replacing Arora in the Rajya Sabha.

“The BJP rumour mills are working overtime. As of now, the election for Ludhiana West has not even been announced. Arora has been chosen as the party candidate because of his popularity in Ludhiana. He has not even resigned as the party's Rajya Sabha member. He can contest the by-election without resigning,” said Garg.

The Ludhiana (West) seat fell vacant with the demise of Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, 58, who died after sustaining a gunshot wound in his head at his house last month. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the election schedule for the seat.

Interestingly, in October 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out a raid at the residence of Arora in Ludhiana as part of a money laundering probe linked to a land ‘fraud’ case.  The raid was in connection with a chunk of land that was allotted to Ritesh Properties and Industries Limited, one of the companies owned by Arora, by the state government for an industrial project, but it was used for a residential project.

AAP’s legislator Gogi joined the AAP in 2022 and defeated two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu during the 2022 Assembly elections.

Responding to the nomination, candidate Arora wrote on X, “Humbled and grateful to the leadership @AamAadmiParty for reposing faith in me to contest the Ludhiana West by-elections. As someone deeply connected to my hometown, I look forward to serving my people with dedication and sincerity.”

The seven Rajya Sabha MPs include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, environmentalist-cum-religious leader Balbir Singh Seechewal, entrepreneur Vikramjit Singh Sahney, besides Sanjeev Arora.

Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by over 4,000 votes in the just concluded Assembly elections. Party insiders said all six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab have also offered their seats to Kejriwal, but the former Delhi Chief Minister declined the offer. With inputs from agencies.