With just 3 days to go for the Ludhiana West By-election, when residents will vote on June 19, all political parties have already announced their candidates. The Ludhiana by-election on June 19 is taking place in the aftermath of the death of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Gogi Bassi. With voting scheduled from 7 AM to 6 PM and counting on June 23, political temperatures have soared, as major parties gear up with their star campaigners and grassroots strategies.
Ludhiana By-election 2025: Key Candidates
Sanjeev Arora (AAP)
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora is AAP’s prominent face in the industrial heart of Ludhiana. AAP National Convenor and former Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, himself has promised that if elected, Sanjeev Arora will be inducted as a Cabinet Minister in the Punjab Government. AAP is leveraging its internal unity and consistent ground-level presence, with multiple ministers having campaigned for Arora already. Arora enjoys a clean image being an industrialist and is well-connected with the business community of Ludhiana. Hence, Arora may enjoy an edge in the upcoming Ludhiana West By-election.
Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Congress)
A former minister and a known face in Ludhiana politics, Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s candidature has stirred internal dissent within Congress. It is said that there is an alleged rift between Ashu and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The factionalism could dent Congress’s cohesion, despite Ashu’s established voter base.
Ashu and Raja Warring have not been on good terms from the beginning. Their differences grew further when Warring was given the Ludhiana Lok Sabha ticket. Although Warring had visited Ashu’s residence to meet him, Ashu did not come out to see him. When the Vigilance Bureau filed cases against Ashu, Warring reportedly did not openly come out in his support. Despite all this, Ashu managed to secure the bypoll ticket directly from the party high command.
Jiwan Gupta (BJP)
With the BJP sensing an opportunity due to the Congress infighting and a possible AAP anti-incumbency, the party has launched an aggressive campaign with top national leaders arriving in support. However, the BJP’s candidate selection also saw dissent from a section of the cadre, especially targeting the decision to field Gupta. Notably, BJP has already sent their two of their star campaigners to seek votes for Jiwan Gupta. It includes Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini and Delhi CM Rekha Bharadwaj. However, Saini's visit to Punjab did not go well planned as he was shown black flags by protestors over his latest controversy over water with Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Advocate Parupkar Singh Ghuman (SAD)
Representing the Shiromani Akali Dal, Parupkar Singh Ghuman is contesting amid efforts to revive the party’s dwindling urban base. While not considered a front-runner, SAD’s core Panthic voter base could still sway margins.
Ludhiana West Candidates and their assets
- Sanjeev Arora (AAP): Declared assets worth Rs 302.1 crore. Rs 278.57 crore in his name and Rs 23.53 crore in his wife’s name.
- Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Congress): Former Punjab minister and a prominent face of the Congress in Ludhiana. His declared assets stand at Rs 7.52 crore.
- Parupkar Singh Ghuman (SAD): Representing the Shiromani Akali Dal, Ghuman has declared assets worth Rs 5.39 crore and is a regular on the local political scene.
Ludhiana West Byelection
For the unversed, Ludhiana West has a significant urban and business-class voter base. Small traders, industrialists, and professionals dominate the demography, making it crucial for all parties to address issues like trade regulations, municipal governance, and law and order. AAP is attempting to woo them with promises of continued reforms. During the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Congress won the Ludhiana parliamentary seat, but the BJP led in the Ludhiana West assembly segment by a margin of 18,000 votes. Therefore, the Ludhiana West By-election can turn out to be a three-cornered fight at the very least.