The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has nominated for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab people from a cross section of the society.
From former cricketer Harbhajan Singh to academicians — IIT Delhi professor Sandeep Pathak, Jalandhar’s Lovely Professional University founder and chancellor Ashok Mittal, youth icon Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha, industrialist-cum-philanthropist Sanjeev Arora — the list of five has them all. 33-year-old Chadha would be the youngest current RS member when elected.
However, the AAP’s announcement of five names on Monday — the last day of filing nominations for election to the Upper House of Parliament — has been opposed by the Opposition parties, while causing discontentment among a section of the party’s Punjab unit. They have argued that non-Punjabis were nominated by the party.
Elections for total 13 Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled for March 31.
The AAP, after registering a landslide victory in the recently-concluded Punjab Assembly polls securing record 92 seats in the 117-member House, is sure to send all five members to the Upper House unopposed considering the number of seats and mathematical figures.
The AAP, in it official statement regarding its choices for the Rajya Sabha nominees, maintained that the former Indian off-spinner was picked for his credentials as a country’s “sports icon”, Pathak for his skills as a “political strategist”, Arora and Mittal for their “social work” and leadership qualities, and Chadha for being a “youth icon”.
Popularly known as “turbanator’’ and “Bhajji”, Harbhajan is set to start his “doosra” inning with Rajya Sabha membership.
Since long, Harbhajan’s entry into politics was expected, which he kept delaying apparently to ensure a better start. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were reports that Bhajji may join the BJP, while ahead of 2022 Punjab elections, speculation wa rife he may join the Congress with former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu as its chief.
Harbhajan announced retirement from all forms of competitive cricket in December 2021.
He gave enough indications, time and again, of making a foray into politics. It has been learnt that the AAP had been in talks with Harbhajan since long. Now with the AAP coming to power with thumping mandate, Harbhajan choose the party to enter the political arena.
After filing his nominations, Harbhajan said that his main focus would be sports. Chadha, party’s Punjab affairs co-in-charge and a great confidant of AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, played a significant role in party’s victory in the State handling a range of responsibilities including campaigning, and ticket distribution.
At 33, he will be the youngest Rajya Sabha member, according to official records. Presently, 39-year-old renowned boxer Mary Kom - a member nominated by the President - is the youngest. Chadha won from Rajinder Nagar Assembly Constituency in 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections and went on to become vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board.
An associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, Pathak has been a major architect of the AAP’s Punjab victory while remaining behind-the-screen. It has been learnt that Pathak has spent most of the past three years in Punjab, preparing the party for polls, besides conducting several crucial surveys to select candidates.
Pathak is also touted as “AAP’s Chanakya”, who joined the party to realize Kejriwal’s dream of a corruption-free India. He had also played significant role in managing 2020 elections in Delhi.
An academic reformer, social activist, and philanthropist, Mittal is the founder chancellor of the Lovely Professional University(LPU). Starting from a sweetmeat shop business, Mittal has come a long way up to become an accomplished automotive entrepreneur. Under his leadership, LPU secured third rank amongst all private universities in India in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA).
Ludhiana-based businessman, Arora is running a successful export house in Ludhiana, besides running the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust which he established after he lost his parents to cancer. The Trust has been serving the people of Punjab for over 15 years, and more than 160 cancer patients have been treated free of cost.