Arvind Kejriwal to become Rajya Sabha MP? AAP's move on Punjab bypoll sparks buzz

Ever since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll, rumours have been rife that party supremo Arvind Kejriwal may replace him in the upper house.

The assembly seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi in an accidental firing.

Arora's Rajya Sabha tenure will end only in 2028 and if he wins the assembly bypolls, he will have to resign from the parliament. According to reports, the AAP is keen on allotting the vacant seat to Kejriwal.

Senior AAP leaders, however, dismissed the rumours, stating that Kejriwal is focused on expanding the party across the country.

"Kejriwal will not go to the Rajya Sabha because he has the big responsibility of the party's expansion in the country and he is working on it," senior party leader Somnath Bharti told PTI.

Kejriwal, the former chief minister of Delhi, was defeated in the recent assembly elections by BJP's Parvesh Verma.

AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar also dismissed the media reports, saying Arora was fielded from Ludhiana since he is one of the best candidates.

"As far as Arvind Kejriwal is concerned, earlier sources of media said he will become the Punjab Chief Minister and now they are saying he will go to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Both these media sources are absolutely wrong," she said.

Quoting sources, NDTV reported that Arora may be given a cabinet berth in the Bhagwant Mann government if he wins the assembly polls as a reward for relinquishing his MP post.

The AAP, which ruled Delhi for two consecutive terms, was thrown out of power by the BJP which bagged 48 seats in the 70-member house in the recent assembly elections.