The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, delivered an impressive performance on Monday by winning two out of five seats in the recent bye-elections. The party clinched one assembly seat each in Punjab and Gujarat. The victory served as a much-needed morale boost for AAP workers, coming months after their setback against the BJP in the Delhi assembly elections.
Kejriwal Dismisses Rajya Sabha Speculation
“I am not going to the Rajya Sabha. The party’s Political Affairs Committee will decide who will go to the Rajya Sabha,” he said at a press conference.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took the Visavadar (Gujarat) and Ludhiana West (Punjab) assembly seats.
Double-Margin Wins Boost AAP Morale
“In the February elections, we won the Visavadar seat, but our MLA left the party and joined the BJP… But today, we have won both the seats (including Ludhiana West) with a double margin. We won Ludhiana West as well, and it shows that people are happy with our work… It is said that it’s always the ruling party that wins the by-elections, but in Gujarat it is the BJP which is in power and it has also hold on the administration and machinery; despite that if the people have given us votes and we won by a double margin, it shows that people are fed up with the BJP,” he added.
AAP’s sitting MP Sanjeev Arora emerged victorious in the Ludhiana West bypolls in Punjab. Arora will be required to resign from the Rajya Sabha.
Kejriwal Criticizes Congress Role in Gujarat
“In Gujarat, there is a direct fight between BJP, AAP. Congress is the BJP’s puppet in ensuring their victory,” he added.
During a press conference, Kejriwal was quizzed who the party would nominate in Arora’s stead, Opposition parties have asserted that party leader Kejriwal would join the Upper House in Arora’s stead.
AAP’s Gopal Italia emerged victorious from Gujarat’s Visavadar assembly constituency. The Congress-led UDF took Nilambur from the ruling LDF in Kerala. The ruling BJP in Gujarat held on to the Kadi seat, and the Trinamool Congress was ahead in the Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal’s Nadia district.
The bypolls in the five constituencies were conducted on June 19.
