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The battle lines are drawn for the crucial Ludhiana West Assembly by-election, scheduled to be held on June 19, with a total of 22 candidates filing their nomination papers by the last date on Monday. As the contest gains momentum, Monday witnessed a flurry of political activity with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) officially joining the electoral fray.
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C confirmed that eight more nomination papers were submitted on the final day, including those of BJP’s Jiwan Gupta and SAD (Amritsar)’s Navneet Kumar. BJP also filed a covering nomination for Sunita Rani. Five independent candidates — Harminder Arora, Bhola Singh, Renu, Pawandeep Singh, and Gurdeep Singh Kahlon — also entered the contest, pushing the total count of candidates to 22. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 3, and the last date for withdrawal is June 5.
Jiwan Gupta’s nomination became a major event as the BJP turned it into a show of force. Central Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab BJP affairs’ incharge Vijay Rupani, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, and several senior party leaders accompanied Gupta to the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Addressing the crowd at a rally earlier in the day, Jakhar launched a scathing attack on both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. “Punjab’s government has been hijacked by people sitting in Delhi,” he said, targeting AAP’s central leadership. He accused both rival parties of internal sabotage, remarking, “They are feeding snakes in their sleeves who will destroy them from within.”
Union Minister Bittu lauded Gupta as a loyal and long-serving party worker, claiming, “If Jiwan Gupta wins, development will follow.” Gupta, in his speech, hit out at the AAP government, saying, “In three and a half years, corruption and drug abuse have increased. Now, the people will show what real change means.”
The BJP also revealed its star campaigners, including Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Anurag Thakur, former MPs Avinash Rai Khanna and Ashwani Sharma, MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and co-incharge Narinder Singh Raina.
Adding to the day’s political drama, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann arrived in Ludhiana to oversee the nomination of his party’s candidate Navneet Kumar (also known as Navneet Gopi). In an unexpected yet cordial moment, Mann encountered Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu at the DC office. Bittu sought Mann’s blessings, touching his feet, while the veteran leader responded with a warm hug — an unusual scene in an increasingly polarized political atmosphere.
Mann took sharp aim at AAP, stating, “This government has nothing left. They have looted Punjab, given water to Haryana, and allowed corruption to flourish.” He also criticized the Congress, asserting that the bypoll will act as a mirror for the AAP government ahead of 2027.
With major parties — Congress, AAP, BJP, and Akali Dal — in full campaign mode, Ludhiana West is set to witness an intense political showdown. The outcome is expected to have larger implications, especially as parties eye the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
To ensure free and fair elections, Expenditure Observer Indana Ashok Kumar (IRS) on Monday directed all surveillance and enforcement teams to maintain strict vigil over poll expenses by candidates contesting the June 19 Ludhiana West by-election.
Chairing a review meeting, he instructed Flying Squads, Static and Video Surveillance Teams, and Accounting Units to monitor daily expenditure reports and ensure compliance with the Election Commission’s Rs 40 lakh limit per candidate.
He emphasized comparing candidates' expenditure registers with shadow registers thrice during the campaign. Contestants will be required to furnish supporting records such as cash books, bank vouchers, and statements for verification.
A total of 12 FSTs, nine SSTs, eight VSTs, one VVT, one accounting team, Assistant Expenditure Observers, and MCMC are actively monitoring expenditure. ADC (Rural Development) Amarjit Bains reaffirmed strict compliance and coordination among teams to prevent malpractice.
Meanwhile, Ludhiana District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain has issued strict instructions to printing press owners ahead of the Ludhiana West by-election, mandating full compliance with Election Commission norms. All campaign materials — posters, pamphlets, and handbills — must clearly mention the printer and publisher's names, number of copies, and carry a signed declaration.
Before printing, publishers must declare who commissioned the material and the associated cost, certified by two known individuals. Two copies of this declaration and printed materials must be submitted to the election expenditure monitoring team.
Jain warned against the printing of any objectionable content related to caste, religion, or personal attacks. He emphasized that any violation, including appeals based on communal lines or defamatory material, will invite strict punitive action. The move aims to ensure fair and transparent campaigning for the June 19 bypoll.