AAP Yet to Decide on Rajya Sabha MP but Kejriwal Says It Won't be Him
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which sprung a revival, winning two out of three assembly bypoll seats it contested on, now has a Rajya Sabha seat vacant. In the Monday (June 23) results, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora won Ludhiana West seat in Punjab, while AAP leader Gopal Italia won the Visavadar seat in Gujarat.
Arora’s victory in the assembly bypoll has left a Rajya Sabha seat vacant, raising speculations about who the party would send to the Upper House of Parliament in replacement. However, the party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal has made it clear that it would not be him.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, as reported by Mint, Kejriwal cleared the air about the possibility of his Rajya Sabha nomination. "Kejriwal nahin ja raha (Kejriwal is not going to the Rajya Sabha) though you [the media] have sent me there several times already," he said.
In February 2022, elections were held in Punjab, and in December 2022, elections were held in Gujarat. Back then, we had won the Visavadar seat. However, our MLAs later joined the BJP, which led to this by-election. This time, we have reclaimed both the Gujarat and Punjab seats with a double margin. This is a big indicator that people in Punjab are very happy with the performance of our government."
Speculations about the former Delhi chief minister’s Rajya Sabha bid had first surfaced in February when the party fielded Arora from Ludhiana West seat after the death of sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi in an accidental firing while cleaning his licensed pistol.
The decision for Rajya Sabha member is set to be made by the party's political affairs committee (PAC) in a week.
Speaking to news agency ANI, AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "As far as the Rajya Sabha seat is concerned, the leadership, the PAC will sit together, discuss and send a good candidate."
Meanwhile, Kejriwal congratulated Arora and Italia for their victories.
“The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won two out of the five seats… This time, we have reclaimed both the Gujarat and Punjab seats with a double margin [compared to 2022]. This is a big indicator that people in Punjab are very happy with the performance of our government," he said.
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