Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced the Ludhiana West By-election Schedule and officially blew the poll bugle in the particular region of Punjab. Divulging the details, Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C stated that, as per the program issued for by-elections, the notification will be issued on 26 May. The last date for filing nominations is 2 June, and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on 3 Jun, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 5 June, 2025. The Ludhiana West seat has been vacant since the death of sitting MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi.
Notably, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have already announced their candidates for Ludhiana West Bypolls. However, the BJP is yet to announce their candidate. While AAP has banked upon Rajya Sabha MP & Industrialist Sanjeev Arora, Congress has announced former Punjab minister and two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu. On the other hand, SAD has named Parupkar Singh Ghuman as its candidate for the Ludhiana West by-election.
Who will be the BJP's candidate for the Ludhiana West by-election?
As per sources in the known development, the BJP is mulling to field the wife of Union Minister and former Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu- Anupama as its candidate. Sources further revealed that the BJP has constituted a two-member candidate search committee led by National Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna and former National SC Commission Chairman Vijay Sampla. The committee recently visited Ludhiana to evaluate potential names and gather ground-level feedback.
Insiders say the BJP’s central leadership is taking this bypoll very seriously, viewing it as a strategic urban seat. There are strong signals that the party is aiming to project a high-profile face. In fact, the BJP had earlier approached Omkar Singh Pahwa, owner of Avon Cycles, to contest, envisioning an "industrialist vs industrialist" face-off against AAP's Sanjeev Arora. However, Pahwa reportedly declined, citing health concerns.
Now, attention has turned to Union Minister Ravneet Bittu’s wife. Bittu, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and lost, had led in key urban pockets of Ludhiana including areas falling under Ludhiana West by a margin of 18,000 votes. BJP leaders believe that fielding his wife could help harness that urban support, while also adding a woman's angle to the contest.
However, internal opposition exists. Some senior BJP leaders are reportedly not in favor of the move. Still, a senior party functionary has confirmed that the BJP parliamentary board has delegated final decision-making authority to party president JP Nadda. A decision is expected within the next 1–2 days, as the nomination deadline of June 2 rapidly approaches.
If Bittu’s wife is fielded, the battle could turn into a triangular contest among Congress, AAP, and BJP — each with heavyweight or strategic candidates, making the Ludhiana West By-election interesting.