AAP SEEKS A CHHOTA REFERENDUM

A chance election in Ludhiana West gives the Mann regime an arena in which to test its urban popularity

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

LUDHIANA WEST is voting in a bypoll on June 19 because its last AAP MLA lost his life in a firearm accident.

His party, having metaphorically met that fate in the Delhi election, has got more than redemption on its mind. At stake is a seat that captures Punjab's urban pulse, and may shape the narrative for the 2027 assembly election-perhaps even inflect national politics. So AAP, Congress and the BJP are giving it their all.

Each has fielded the strongest available hand. AAP's face, Rajya Sabha MP and Ludhiana-based industrialist Sanjeev Arora, is interesting for another reason. Despite stone-faced denials, the buzz is that if Arora wins, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal may explore a Rajya Sabha route from Punjab. After his low-key retreat from the public eye in the wake of electoral setbacks and legal challenges, such a re-entry could offer Kejriwal a fresh national perch, reviving both visibility and legitimacy.