Even with a substantially lower turnout of voters than at previous Assembly elections in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab was able to retain its grip on the Ludhiana (West) seat on Monday.
Voter turnout fell to 51.33 per cent from a high of 64 per cent in the previous Assembly election, but AAP continued to ride its wave of governance performance and development-oriented agenda.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, who was in the fray on an AAP ticket, won by a convincing margin of 10,637 votes by trouncing Congress candidate and two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Arora took a lead right from the first round of counting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its first-time candidate Jiwan Gupta, came in third in the race. Arora received 35,179 votes, and Ashu had 24,542 votes. Gupta came in with 20,323 votes. The candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) trailed behind, collecting only 8,203 votes.
The by-election was prompted by the sad death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi this year from a "self-inflicted bullet injury."
Responding to the outcome, Punjab AAP in-charge, who had campaigned fervently ahead of the poll, said, "Sanjeev Arora has emerged victorious in the Ludhiana (West) bypoll, and the people have indicated that they are extremely satisfied with the work done by the Mann-led Punjab government."
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the victory as a reflection of the performance of the government: "This is a party victory, government victory, victory of our work, of our policies… I think in the days to come, AAP will see a government formed in Punjab in 2027 again."
After his first electoral victory in the state assembly, Arora, a popular social activist of Ludhiana, made his agenda known in a single word uttered three times: "Development, development, development."
Punjab AAP President Aman Arora credited the victory to the power of national convener Arvind Kejriwal's vision, efforts of the Mann government, and party workers' relentless work. He also praised Sanjeev Arora's character and dedication.
While, BJP MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu congratulated the victor and hoped Arora would help the city develop in a positive way. He also appreciated his party candidate, Jiwan Gupta, who garnered more than 20,000 votes within two weeks of campaigning and described it as a great achievement.
But Bittu also reminded that the opposition's combined votes were greater than the combined votes of the ruling party. "While AAP is celebrating their win, a closer examination of the figures indicates the overall vote share of the Opposition far outstrips that of the ruling party. That says a lot about escalating discontent on the ground," he wrote on X.
He extended his thanks to BJP workers, stating, "My thanks to all BJP workers and leaders whose untiring efforts brought about this outcome. Let us go on moving forward with commitment and determination."
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also welcomed the victory, describing it as a "spectacular victory." He stated, "This victory with such a massive margin is a clear indication that the state people are extremely happy with the work of our government. We are working day and night without discrimination and with utter honesty for the development and prosperity of Punjab."
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