Ludhiana West bypoll a do-or-die battle for AAP

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party is turning the June 19 Ludhiana West bypoll into a do-or-die battle. It is leaving no stone unturned to help its candidate Sanjeev Arora secure a win.

The bypoll is being held after the AAP lost the Delhi Assembly polls in February, and the party desperately needs an electoral win to boost its cadres and reaffirm its position. In terms of numbers, the election holds little value for the ruling party, which has 94 of the 117 members in the House.

No wonder the entire party top brass and their core team from Delhi have descended on Ludhiana. Even Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP state chief Aman Arora and most ministers and party MPs will be campaigning for Arora. The campaign is being handled by senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain. Arvind Kejriwal has also been campaigning vigorously.

Though the opposition has been using the “Dilliwale” barb against the ruling party, saying the Punjab AAP leaders have handed over the reins of the government to their Delhi leaders, the AAP has countered this by claiming that the Congress affairs, were also being managed by Chhattisgarh leader Bhupesh Baghel.

Rarely has an Assembly bypoll in the state generated such interest or the stakes have been so high for the ruling party. This week saw the government hold three cabinet meetings, and the decisions taken in these meetings are aimed at wooing the urban voters. Even the ‘one nation one husband’ remark by Mann seemed to be a clever ploy to polarise Hindu voters.

A win will catapult not just businessman-turned-Rajya Sabha MP Arora’s political career but also set the tone for the 2027 Assembly polls. A loss or a small victory margin will weaken the party’s position during its remaining tenure.

It is for this reason that both the Congress and BJP are going all out to win. However, AAP political strategists take solace from the fact that despite Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu being a formidable challenge to Arora, the divide within the Congress might help them. On the other hand, while the BJP has a strong cadre base here, Jiwan Gupta is not as charismatic as Arora or as aggressive a campaigner as Ashu.