Trident Group's Rajinder Gupta likely to be AAP candidate for Punjab Rajya Sabha bypolls

Prominent industrialist Rajinder Gupta is likely to be the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll, scheduled for October 24.

Gupta, the chairman emeritus of the Trident Group, is likely to file his nomination for the lone vacant seat in Rajya Sabha in the coming week. In preparation for this election, Gupta has already submitted his resignation as the Vice Chairman of the State Economic Policy and Planning Board, as well as the Chairperson of the Sri Kali Devi Advisory Committee yesterday.

He was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Planning Board in 2022, and as Chairperson of the advisory committee of the temple in Patiala in August this year. He has remained the Vice Chairman/ Deputy Chairman of the Planning Board during both the previous Congress and SAD-BJP regimes and has continued to enjoy the stature of a cabinet minister.

Official sources in the state’s ruling party have said that Gupta has “resigned on a positive note and is likely to be the party candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll.” The state’s ruling party, which has 93 members in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha, was looking to field a prominent Punjabi as its candidate for the bypoll.

Though initially there was speculation about one of the top leaders of the party going to Rajya Sabha from Punjab, the decision to field a Punjabi was taken to avoid any narrative of Delhi leadership dominating in Punjab.

Considering that the AAP has an astounding majority with 93 seats in the Vidhan Sabha and the winning candidate needs just 60 votes, Gupta’s win is certain in the case of an election, though indications are that the state will follow its long convention of sending RS MPs unopposed.

It may be mentioned that the RS seat fell vacant after the resignation of Sanjeev Arora, who decided to contest the Ludhiana West bypoll earlier this year and was made a minister in the Bhagwant Mann Cabinet.