As Arvind Kejriwal rules out Rajya Sabha move, who will AAP send to Upper House?

The AAP sent Arora to the Rajya Sabha in 2022 after its landslide majority in Punjab in the 2022 Assembly polls. However, earlier this year, it announced his candidature from Ludhiana West, where the elections became necessary following the death of incumbent AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi.

Kejriwal, the three-time Delhi Chief Minister who lost to the BJP’s Parvesh Sahib Singh from the New Delhi seat in February, campaigned for Arora for the past several weeks. While it sparked speculation that he might replace Arora in the Rajya Sabha, the AAP had ruled it out in February itself. “As far as Arvind Kejriwal is concerned, earlier the media said he would become the Punjab Chief Minister. Now, they are saying he will go to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. The media sources are absolutely wrong,” AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar had said at the time.

However, much has changed since then, with the AAP losing power in Delhi as well as in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the party is now in power only in Punjab. Party insiders said in this context, the decision on the Rajya Sabha seat was going to be crucial.

“Kejriwal is a leader who has national relevance and national ambitions. For the party’s success, he must remain visible and relevant. His going to the Rajya Sabha will mean a better rapport with Opposition leaders and visible bonhomie, pushing his case for an elevation in the INDIA bloc,” said a senior AAP leader, who is in favour of the party chief moving to the Rajya Sabha.

However, not all agree. Another AAP leader said the Upper House was unsuitable for a leader of Kejriwal’s stature. “He is a leader of the masses with electoral appeal. If he has to go national, it should be through the Lok Sabha. The party has also clarified in the past that he will not be making this move,” said the leader. The AAP functionary added that Sisodia might be the “more obvious choice”.

Several others agreed that it should be Sisodia. “By not taking the seat for himself and having Sisodia ji head to the Rajya Sabha, Kejriwal may also quell any negative talk about the overwhelming presence of the Delhi leadership in the state. This is because Sisodia ji has been the Punjab in-charge in the past and is fulfilling that responsibility even now,” said an AAP MLA.

Case for a leader from Punjab

The final decision, however, will have to be agreed upon by the party’s state leadership as well, and the decision cannot be thrust upon them. “The biggest priority for the party right now is a smooth tenure in the state till the Assembly elections (in early 2027); given the fact that the issue of the AAP ‘importing leaders from Delhi’ is an issue which the opposition has been raking up consistently, sending a Delhi-based leader will be counterproductive. A leader from Punjab may be chosen,” said an AAP insider.

This AAP leader said the party brass, including Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain, were “not in need of a platform”, even if it happens to be the Rajya Sabha. “None of these leaders, especially Arvind Kejriwal, need a platform to voice their opinion; all they need to do is take to social media as and when required. The AAP, unlike other political parties, is neither in need of elevating a leader purely so that they can get facilities such as government accommodation, or any other sort of ‘protection’ through legislative privilege,” said the leader.