‘What to expect from a party where state chief and candidate don’t speak to each other’: AAP minister Aman Arora targets Congress ahead of Ludhiana West bypoll

The party’s state president, the MP from Ludhiana, and their candidate do not speak to each other. When one goes, the other gets offended and vice versa. This is all that goes on in that party,” said Aman Arora.

“What kind of party is this where personal interests are bigger than the party and people’s interests? What can you expect from them?” asked Arora.

The bypoll for Ludhiana West, an urban constituency mainly represented by the business and trading community, was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi in January.

Gogi won against Ashu in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections by a margin of over 7,000 votes to become an MLA for the first time.

The Congress recently announced Ashu, a two-time former MLA, as its candidate for the upcoming bypoll.

Following this, Warring went to Ashu’s house to meet him. However, the meeting did not take place as Ashu was not there. Warring, the Ludhiana Lok Sabha MP, claimed that he had informed Ashu in advance about his visit, but Ashu said he was not home because he was unaware of Warring’s plans to visit him.

Arora further targeted Ashu over his “temper issues” and said the slogan coined by AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora aptly sums up that the people of Ludhiana should vote for him, not Ashu.

“The slogan is ‘Na gussa, na hankaar, Sanjeev Arora iss vaar’ (No anger, no arrogance, elect Sanjeev Arora this time). This is where the major difference lies between the two candidates,” said Aman Arora.

‘Sanjeev Arora is a leader with a clean image’

The inauguration ceremony of the AAP’s election office was celebrated with drum beats, as well as ceremonial ‘ardas’ (prayers in Sikhism) performed by a gurdwara granthi (a Sikh leader leading the prayers).

Aman Arora announced that this event marked the official start of AAP’s campaign for the elections in Ludhiana West. He urged party members to work diligently to ensure a resounding victory for Sanjeev Arora, whom he described as a “development-oriented leader with a clean image”.

“Both the government and our candidate enjoy credibility due to their excellent performance, and the people of Ludhiana West are ready to vote,” he added.

Aman Arora also said AAP workers have been actively engaged in door-to-door verification for the past two months, during which they detected “numerous fake voters” allegedly listed by rival parties.

Further praising Sanjeev Arora, he said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal recognised his capabilities, which led to his nomination as a Rajya Sabha MP. “He understands the pulse of the industry and the people. Now, it is time the people give back by electing him with a decisive mandate,” Aman Arora said.

Punjab minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond urged AAP workers to intensify their campaign by installing flags and banners, while ensuring the consent of residents. He described Sanjeev Arora as a “diamond” in politics and predicted a landslide victory for him.

Sanjeev Arora said his responsibilities would increase after the election and made a commitment to continue working for the welfare of the people.