AAP reclaims lost ground; old parties flounder in Punjab

THE Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) sweeping victory in the Ludhiana West byelection is more than a routine mid-term win; it signals a strategic recalibration for the ruling party in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Sanjeev Arora’s decisive win by 10,637 votes over Congress veteran Bharat Bhushan Ashu consolidates AAP’s grip on an urban seat, once considered a BJP-Congress stronghold due to its high concentration of Hindu voters and business communities. AAP’s candidate selection and early announcement of Arora’s name gave it a first-mover advantage. Arora, a political newcomer with a clean slate and a strong industrialist background, emerged as a credible face in contrast to Ashu, weighed down by previous political baggage. This calculated move, coupled with high-voltage campaigning by top AAP leaders helped transform a low-turnout (51.33 per cent) bypoll into a prestige contest.

The Congress, already weakened by factionalism, has now suffered a symbolic defeat in a seat it had won in 2012 and 2017. Its failure to reinvent leadership and unify warring camps has visibly cost it urban voter confidence. The BJP, despite having a traditional base among Ludhiana’s traders and Hindu voters, remained a marginal player, finishing a distant third. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), once the dominant party in Punjab, continues to flounder, struggling to connect with urban constituencies and voters beyond its rural and Sikh-dominated pockets.

This win allows AAP to reshuffle its Cabinet, with Arora likely to be inducted as minister. His Rajya Sabha seat will then open up a fresh opportunity for the party to accommodate key leadership. With nearly 19 months until the next state elections, the Ludhiana West result is a morale-booster and a litmus test that AAP has passed, both electorally and organisationally. This bypoll could well mark the beginning of the 2027 poll narrative.

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