The political landscape in Ludhiana is heating up ahead of the impending by-election for the Ludhiana West Assembly seat, with top leaders from both Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress mobilizing their forces. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal are set to camp in Ludhiana for three days, signaling the party’s aggressive push to retain its influence in Punjab’s industrial hub.
At the same time, former Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who has emerged as the frontrunner for the Congress ticket, on Monday showcased his strength with a major show of support despite his sour relations with the party MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who is also the state party president.
Starting April 1, Chief Minister Mann and Kejriwal will be in Ludhiana, holding crucial meetings with the state leadership to strategize for the upcoming polls. The duo will convene at Hotel Kings Villa on Ferozepur Road for a high-level meeting to devise the strategy.
On April 2, AAP leaders will take to the streets with an anti-drug rally in Ghumar Mandi, reinforcing their commitment to tackling Punjab’s drug menace. Later, an interaction with students is scheduled at the Indoor Stadium. On April 3, Mann and Kejriwal will visit ITI College to inspect new machinery, underlining the government's focus on skill development.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, confirming the schedule, hinted that the bypoll might take place in May. “We are reaching out to people on developmental issues, and public support for the AAP government is evident. Authorities are already monitoring potential troublemakers who may try to disrupt the elections,” he stated.
The Congress, meanwhile, is gearing up for a strong fight, with Bharat Bhushan Ashu emerging as the top contender for the party’s nomination. However, internal party rifts have surfaced, as Ashu’s strained ties with Punjab Congress chief Warring cast uncertainty over his candidacy.
To solidify his position, Ashu held a special meeting with key Congress leaders in south city, Ludhiana. Attended by MLAs Pragat Singh, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, and Sukhwinder Kotli, the gathering, however, saw a conspicuous absence of Warring and the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. Several district-level Congress leaders, including Ludhiana District Congress Committee president Sanjay Talwar, former MLAs Surinder Dawar and Rakesh Pandey, also skipped the meeting, highlighting the factionalism within the party.
In a significant political move, Ashu has also formally written to the Election Commission, alleging large-scale manipulation of voter lists by the AAP government. He claimed that names were being arbitrarily removed without notice while new voters were being added to skew the electoral process in AAP’s favour.
“I have sent a voice recording of Additional Commissioner Rupinder Pal instructing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to fill Form 7 to remove voters’ names. Many BLOs have refused to comply, exposing the administration’s sinister attempt at electoral fraud,” Ashu alleged in his letter to the polls panel. He also warned that the AAP led State Government aims to register thousands of fake voters while eliminating genuine ones to manipulate the polls.
Ashu remains confident that once the party high command finalizes the ticket, all factions will unite for the electoral battle. “We are prepared to take AAP head-on. Sanjeev Arora will have to answer what he has achieved in his three years as MP. As soon as the Congress candidate is announced, we will expose AAP’s failures,” he said.
Congress MLA Pragat Singh took a swipe at CM Mann, saying, “Tomorrow, Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal will be in Ludhiana, but they are only here to make a fool out of people on April 1. First, Mann claimed to be a teacher’s son, and he beat teachers protesting for their rights. Then, he called himself a farmer’s son, and farmers were mercilessly lathi-charged. Now, he claims to support industrialists — let’s see how long they last under his rule.”
Pargat Singh also speculated that Sanjeev Arora might be forced to resign from Rajya Sabha to make way for either Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia, who is not AAP’s Punjab unit in-charge. “People of Ludhiana are not fools. They know this by-election is a turning point,” he said.
With the ruling AAP launching an all-out campaign and the Congress rallying to mount a formidable challenge, the Ludhiana West bypoll is shaping up to be a high-voltage contest. The electoral battle will not only determine the fate of the assembly seat but could also set the tone for the state politics, in the run up to state assembly elections in 2027.
