Chandigarh: After Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora’s victory in the assembly elections, there were speculations about sending Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal to the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by Punjab. However, these speculations have now been put to rest.
Indeed, the Aam Aadmi Party has declared Trident Group Chairman Rajinder Gupta as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab. AAP National General Secretary Sandeep Pathak issued a letter in this regard, which was shared on the party’s social media handles.
Industrialist Rajinder Gupta Candidate
It should be noted that Rajinder Gupta is considered one of Punjab’s richest industrialists. His company has a turnover of approximately ₹5,000 crore. Speculation about Gupta’s Rajya Sabha candidacy began on Saturday. He resigned as Vice Chairman of the Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board and Chairman of the Advisory Management Committee of the Kali Mata Temple in Patiala. The AAP government accepted his resignation.
Discussions of Kejriwal and Sisodia contesting the elections
It should be noted that a Rajya Sabha seat in Punjab fell vacant after Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora was elected MLA from Ludhiana West. There were discussions about Arvind Kejriwal and then Manish Sisodia contesting from this seat.
Voting on October 24
The notification for the Rajya Sabha elections in Punjab will be issued tomorrow, October 6. The last date for nominations is October 13. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 14, and nominations can be withdrawn until October 16. Voting will take place on October 24, and the counting of votes will take place that evening. Opposition parties Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and BJP have not yet decided whether to contest the elections.
Six Rajya Sabha Members in Punjab
Punjab currently has six Rajya Sabha members. All of them are leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. These include businessman Vikramjit Singh Sahni, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and industrialist Ashok Mittal, Chancellor of Lovely Professional University.
How many MLAs does each party have?
AAP’s victory in this election is certain. Currently, the Aam Aadmi Party holds 94 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab, while the Shiromani Akali Dal holds three MLAs, one of whom has joined the Aam Aadmi Party. Furthermore, the Congress has 16, the BJP two, the Bahujan Samaj Party one, and one independent MLA. However, one seat in Tarn Taran remains vacant following the death of AAP MLA Dr. Kashmir Singh Sohal. A by-election will determine which party will win the seat.
