'Not Going To Rajya Sabha': Kejriwal After MP Sanjeev Arora Wins Ludhiana West Assembly Bypoll

New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said he would not go to the Rajya Sabha, after the party's sitting Upper House member Sanjeev Arora won the Ludhiana West bypolls in Punjab. Arora will have to resign from the Rajya Sabha.

At a press conference, Kejriwal was asked who the party would nominate in Arora's place. "Many times I have been sent to the Rajya Sabha. I want to tell you I am not going to the Rajya Sabha. The political affairs committee of the party will decide whom to nominate," he told reporters.

Opposition parties have claimed that party supremo Kejriwal would enter the Upper House in Arora's place. The former Delhi CM hailed the party's performance in the Gujarat and Punjab bypolls, calling them a "semi-final to 2027" and a clear sign that voters would reject both the BJP and the Congress.

Punjab's ruling AAP retained the Ludhiana West assembly seat with Arora registering a victory in a fierce electoral fight against his nearest rival and Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a margin of 10,637 votes. The bypoll results in the Visavadar seat in Gujarat saw AAP's Gopal Italia winning while the BJP's Rajendra Chavda bagged the Kadi seat.

"We have won with almost double the margin by which we won in 2022. This shows that we are doing good work in Punjab. Some people are saying this is a semi-final to 2027 — there will be a storm of AAP in 2027," Kejriwal said.

Both Gujarat and Punjab will face assembly elections in 2027. Italia, the former Gujarat president of the AAP, defeated his nearest rival, BJP candidate Kirit Patel, in the Visavadar seat of Junagadh district by a margin of 17,554 votes. While Italia received 75,942 votes, Patel got 58,388 votes after the end of 21 rounds of counting, according to the data shared by the Election Commission.

Kejriwal said the people of Punjab had endorsed AAP's governance with overwhelming support. "By giving us a huge margin win, people of Punjab have given their stamp of approval on AAP's work in the state," he said.

He also emphasised the significance of AAP's win in Gujarat, traditionally a BJP bastion. "It is often said that the ruling party wins in bypolls. But our win in Gujarat shows that people are fed up with the 30 years of BJP rule. They now see AAP as a credible alternative," Kejriwal said.

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