The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a notable success in the recent assembly bypolls by winning two of the five seats that went to vote on June 19—Visavadar in Gujarat and Ludhiana West in Punjab. The twin victories mark a significant rebound for AAP after its recent electoral defeat in Delhi, and serve as a morale-booster for the party’s rank and file.
Celebrating the bypoll wins, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addressed a press conference where he also put to rest speculation about his possible entry into the Rajya Sabha. “I am not going to the Rajya Sabha. The Political Affairs Committee of the party will decide who goes,” Kejriwal said, amid rumours that he might replace Sanjeev Arora, the Rajya Sabha MP who has now won the Ludhiana West assembly seat and is set to resign from the Upper House.Kejriwal took the opportunity to sharply criticize both the Congress and the BJP, accusing the former of acting as a proxy for the ruling party in Gujarat.
“In Gujarat, there is a direct fight between the BJP and AAP. Congress is BJP’s puppet. Only AAP is fighting the BJP honestly,” he asserted, urging Congress workers across the country to join the Aam Aadmi Party.Referring to Visavadar, Kejriwal reminded that AAP had won the seat earlier but lost it after its MLA defected to the BJP. “Despite the BJP’s control over the administration and machinery, people voted for us again, and we won with a double margin.
This shows how deeply disillusioned people are with the BJP,” he said. He also pointed out that by winning Ludhiana West, AAP reaffirmed its public support in Punjab.Gopal Italia won from Gujarat’s Visavadar assembly seat for AAP, while sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora emerged victorious from Ludhiana West. With Arora’s bypoll win, the party will now have to nominate a new member to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.
When asked about who might replace Arora, Kejriwal reiterated that the decision lies with the party’s top decision-making body.
In other bypoll outcomes, the Congress-led UDF reclaimed Nilambur from the LDF in Kerala, the BJP retained the Kadi seat in Gujarat, and Trinamool Congress was leading in the Kaliganj seat in West Bengal’s Nadia district.With these bypoll wins, AAP has not only secured legislative strength in two states but has also reignited its national momentum ahead of upcoming political battles.