Ludhiana: 1.7L voters to lock nominees' fate today

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

As many as 1.74 lakh voters in Ludhiana West will exercise their right to franchise on Thursday in the by-election which has 14 candidates in fray. The bypoll comes after 20 days of campaigning and will be followed by the counting of votes on June 23.
The election is expected to witness a tight four-cornered contest among the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). AAP has nominated Sanjeev Arora, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP and prominent industrialist, whose declared assets, including those of his spouse, amount to ₹301 crore. This makes him the richest candidate in the recent Punjab elections. Arora's candidature has triggered criticism from Opposition leaders who allege that he was made to contest merely to secure a Rajya Sabha seat for Arvind Kejriwal.
The Congress has placed its hopes on Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a seasoned politician, former cabinet minister and two-time MLA. The BJP has fielded Jiwan Gupta, a local leader and the party's general secretary, who is contesting his first election. Similarly, the SAD has nominated advocate Parupkar Singh Ghumman, who is known for offering free legal aid to the poor. Both Gupta and Ghumman are debutants in the electoral arena.
The by-election was necessitated due to the unfortunate death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi in an accidental firing incident in January. Since the formation of the Ludhiana West seat in 1977, the constituency has witnessed 10 elections. The Congress has won six of these, SAD two, while AAP and the former Janata Party have secured victory once each. In 2022, AAP's Gogi defeated Congress' Ashu, marking AAP's first win from this constituency.
The district administration has made extensive preparations to ensure a smooth polling process. District electoral officer and deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain has confirmed that all 194 polling stations will be equipped with masks, sanitizers, tents, fans, drinking water, wheelchairs and ramps to facilitate voters. Strict Covid-19 safety measures will be in place and polling will be closely monitored through webcasting to maintain transparency.
In an innovative move, the Election Commission of India has introduced a mobile phone deposit facility at every polling booth this time. Special arrangements have also been made to encourage inclusive voting. A women-staffed polling station has been set up at Lodhi Club in Rajguru Nagar. Persons with disabilities (PwDs) will manage a polling station at BVM School in Kitchlu Nagar, while a green polling station has been established inside the PAU campus at the Government Senior Secondary School. Ten model polling booths have also been created to showcase ideal voting conditions.
Additionally, the 'Vote from Home' initiative has been launched for senior citizens and voters with disabilities. On the eve of the election, 194 polling teams departed from Khalsa College for Women in GPS-enabled vehicles to reach their designated locations.
Security arrangements have also been tightened in the constituency. Additional deputy commissioner of police (operations) Ramandeep Singh Bhullar stated that 60 checkpoints have been established and 19 patrol teams are actively monitoring the area. There are also 21 flying squads and nine strategic surveillance teams in place. More than 1,000 police personnel will be deployed on election day to ensure law and order.
Historically, Ludhiana West has recorded strong voter turnouts. Since 1977, voter participation has consistently stayed above 55%. In 2012, 2017 and 2022, the voter turnout crossed the 60% mark, reaching close to 70% in 2012 and 2017.
The political stakes are high, particularly for AAP, which is looking to recover from its recent defeat in the Delhi assembly elections, where even party leader Arvind Kejriwal lost his seat. Arora, contesting his first assembly election after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha, is seen as a key figure in AAP's plan to regain ground.
Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu is aiming for a comeback after losing in 2022 and spending over a year in jail following a corruption case. Though the high court quashed the charges against him, internal rifts within the party may affect his prospects.
The SAD, once a dominant player in Punjab politics, is attempting to rebuild its influence after two successive electoral defeats in 2017 and 2022. The party is banking on Ghumman's clean image and social work to strike a chord with voters, but it faces an uphill battle to regain relevance.
Meanwhile, the BJP is trying to gain foothold in Punjab. The party performed strongly in Ludhiana West during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where it secured the highest number of votes in the segment, pushing AAP to a distant third. Its candidate Jiwan Gupta, a local resident, hopes to ride on this momentum to achieve victory in his maiden electoral contest.