Industrialist Rajinder Gupta named AAP candidate for Punjab Rajya Sabha seat

Rajinder Gupta, the Trident Group chairman, earlier resigned as vice-chairman of the Punjab Planning Board and chairman of the Shri Kali Mata Temple Management Committee. Kanchan Vasdev Chandigarh

Industrialist Rajinder Gupta likely to be AAP’s candidate for Punjab Rajya Sabha seat

Industrialist and Trident Group chairman Rajinder Gupta. (File Photo)

ChandigarhOctober 5, 2025 12:04 PM IST First published on: Oct 4, 2025 at 04:43 PM IST

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Sunday announced industrialist Rajinder Gupta as its candidate for Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

The AAP wrote on X, “The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Aam Aadmi Party hereby announces to nominate Shri Rajinder Gupta as a candidate for election to the Rajya Sabha by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of Punjab.” Gupta, the Trident Group chairman, earlier resigned as vice-chairman of the Punjab Planning Board and chairman of the Shri Kali Mata Temple Management Committee, fuelling speculation that he could be the AAP’s Rajya Sabha candidate for the byelection from Punjab, scheduled for October 24.

Both resignations have been accepted. The AAP was looking for an industrialist for the berth vacated by Sanjeev Arora, who is now a minister in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s cabinet.

Arora had resigned from the seat on July 1 after he was elected from the Ludhiana (West) Assembly segment in June. The election was necessitated after the demise of AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi. Following this, the party nominated Arora for the seat, and he won with a margin of over 10,000 votes. He was inducted into the Cabinet and given the important portfolio of industry.

He was also handed over the NRI affairs department. After Arora was nominated as the Ludhiana (West) candidate, the Opposition had created a buzz that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal would head to the Rajya Sabha following the party’s rout in the Delhi Assembly elections. However, later, Kejriwal clarified that he was not interested in securing a Rajya Sabha berth.

Sources said that the party was keen on sending an industrialist to the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Kejriwal had visited Nahar Group of Companies honcho Kamal Oswal. This had led to speculation that he would be the next AAP Rajya Sabha member. However, sources later indicated that Oswal had declined the offer.

AAP has six members in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab—Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Balbir Singh Seechewal, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Mittal. The AAP won 92 seats in the 2022 Assembly elections and can send seven members to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. With the party facing resistance against its Delhi leadership in Punjab, it was stated that a leader from the state would be the party’s pick. AAP is likely to win the seat as it has 93 MLAs in a house of 117.

As per the notification for the election, nominations will begin on October 6, and the last date of filing nominations will be on October 13. The votes will be counted on October 24.