NewKerala.com

Key Points

The Election Commission has scheduled a by-election for a vacant Punjab Rajya Sabha seat. The seat became available after sitting AAP member Sanjeev Arora resigned upon winning a state assembly seat. AAP will nominate a candidate for the October 24th poll. Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal has denied speculation that he will be entering the Rajya Sabha himself.

Key Points: Punjab Rajya Sabha Bypoll Set for October 24 After Sanjeev Arora Resigns

  • Bypoll scheduled for October 24 with counting on the same day
  • Nominations open October 6 with October 13 as last filing date
  • Seat fell vacant after AAP's Sanjeev Arora resigned upon winning assembly seat
  • AAP insiders say all six party MPs offered their seats to Kejriwal
3 min read

Bypoll for Punjab Rajya Sabha seat on October 24

Election Commission announces October 24 bypoll for Punjab Rajya Sabha seat vacated by AAP's Sanjeev Arora. AAP to nominate candidate as Kejriwal denies entry.

"Arvind Kejriwal is not going to Rajya Sabha…media sources were earlier saying that he will become the Chief Minister of Punjab. - Priyanka Kakkar, AAP Spokesperson"

Chandigarh, Sep 24

The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that the by-election for a Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab that fell vacant following the resignation of sitting AAP member Sanjeev Arora will be held on October 24.

Counting will also be held on October 24 after the election between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

As per the poll panel, nominations will open after the issue of notification on October 6, and the last date for filing candidature will be October 13. The scrutiny of nominations will be held the next day, on October 14, and October 16 is the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

Decks have been cleared for the state's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to nominate someone from the party.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who was speculated to enter the Rajya Sabha, has denied that he is in the race.

Businessman-turned-politician leader Arora resigned his Rajya Sabha membership on July 1 after he won the bypoll to the Ludhiana West assembly constituency by a margin of over 10,000 votes against his nearest rival Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress.

He is currently a Cabinet minister in the Bhagwant Mann-led government.

A first-time MP, Arora was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab on April 10, 2022, and his tenure was till April 9, 2028.

Since the fielding of MP Arora in the Assembly bypoll, rumours had risen that Kejriwal, who just faced a humiliating defeat not only of his party but also his own seat in Delhi Assembly elections, is going to the Rajya Sabha in Arora’s place. Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat to the BJP’s Parvesh Verma by over 4,000 votes in the Assembly elections.

Apart from Arora, the AAP’s other Rajya Sabha members are Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, environmentalist-cum-religious leader Balbir Singh Seechewal, and entrepreneur Vikramjit Singh Sahney.

Party insiders said all six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab have also offered their seats to Kejriwal, but the former Delhi Chief Minister has declined the offer.

Setting aside speculation of fielding Kejriwal, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar had said: "Arvind Kejriwal is not going to Rajya Sabha…media sources were earlier saying that he will become the Chief Minister of Punjab."

"Arvind Kejriwal is the national convenor of AAP. I agree that his demand is very high, but he is not limited to any one seat," she had told the media in Delhi.

However, Leader of Opposition in Punjab and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa had claimed that Kejriwal’s Rajya Sabha entry "is certain".

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Interesting that Kejriwal denied going to Rajya Sabha. After his Delhi defeat, maybe he's focusing on rebuilding the party nationally. Smart move if true! 🤔
A
Arjun K
Sanjeev Arora moving from Rajya Sabha to state cabinet shows AAP's focus on strengthening Punjab governance. Hope this bypoll brings in someone equally competent.
S
Sarah B
The timeline seems quite rushed - notification on Oct 6 and election on Oct 24. Hope all parties get enough time to field suitable candidates properly.
M
Michael C
AAP has some good Rajya Sabha members already like Raghav Chadha. They should pick someone with expertise in agriculture or industry for Punjab's development.
K
Kavya N
While I support AAP in Punjab, I wish they'd be more transparent about their candidate selection process. The speculation game gets tiresome for common voters like us.
V
Vikram M
Counting on the same day is efficient! Hope the new MP focuses on Punjab's water issues and farmer welfare. We need practical solutions, not just political statements. 👍

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50