After Punjab and Gujarat bypoll win, Kejriwal responds to Rajya Sabha rumours, asks Congress workers to join AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday put up a splendid show by winning two of the five seats that went to bye-elections. The party won an assembly seat each in Punjab and Gujarat – a shot in the arm for its workers, months after its drubbing at the hands of the BJP in the Delhi assembly elections. Reacting to the impressive victory, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the results showed that the people of Gujarat are fed up with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He also ended speculation on whether he would join the Rajya Sabha after an AAP MP won the assembly bypolls in Punjab. Former Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal during a press conference.(PTI)
"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) won the Visavadar (Gujarat) and Ludhiana West (Punjab) assembly seats.
"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.
Arvind Kejriwal attacked both the Congress and the BJP, claiming they have a cozy relationship with the BJP. "I urge the Congress workers to leave the party, join us; only AAP is fighting against the BJP," he added.
"In Gujarat, there is a direct fight between BJP, AAP. Congress is the BJP's puppet in ensuring their victory," he added.
AAP's sitting MP, Sanjeev Arora, won the Ludhiana West bypolls in Punjab. Arora will have to resign from the Rajya Sabha.
At a press conference, Kejriwal was asked whom the party will nominate in Arora's place.
Opposition parties have claimed that party supremo Kejriwal would enter the Upper House in Arora's place. Bypoll results
AAP's Gopal Italia won from Gujarat's Visavadar assembly constituency. The Congress-led UDF wrested Nilambur from the ruling LDF in Kerala. The ruling BJP in Gujarat retained the Kadi seat, while the Trinamool Congress was leading in the Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal's Nadia district.
The bypolls in the five constituencies were held on June 19.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
35 minutes ago
- Hans India
In Nilambur bypoll win, Congress candidate Shoukath outstrips father's electoral record
Nilambur (Kerala): Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath, who on Monday registered a stellar victory at the Nilambur Assembly by-election in Kerala by securing 77,737 votes to win with a margin of 11,077 votes, has bettered his late father and long-time MLA Aryadan Mohammed's electoral performance. Aryadan Mohammed was a legend in Nilambur by winning a record eight times and losing thrice. However, Shoukath won the seat in his second poll battle - after losing in 2016, but his father could win only in his third attempt in the 1977 polls after losing in 1965 and 1967. In the present election, CPI-M candidate finished second, and got 66,660 votes. More importantly, the Congress-led UDF has regained Nilambur for the first time after the 2011 Assembly polls. In 2016, P.V. Anvar, fielded as a Left-backed independent candidate, beat Shoukath by 11,504 votes, and he retained the seat in 2021, defeating the then Congress candidate by 2,800 votes. This time, Anvar, whose resignation necessitated the bypoll, contested as an independent candidate and got 19,760 votes, while the BJP's candidate Mohan George ended up with 8,648 votes and forfeited his deposit money. However, Anvar surprised all with the number of votes he managed to secure. CPI-M state Secretary reflecting on the defeat, claimed that the UDF has lost votes in the bypolls said as compared to the 2021 polls. "For us, this is one constituency where we cannot win in a political fight, and we have won when we put up independent candidates. The votes for the BJP-led NDA have come down as compared to 2016, and since the BJP candidate never had a chance, their votes have gone elsewhere. Moreover, the votes of the Jamat-e-Islami, all know where they have gone from the words of the Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan. The tactic of the Congress is to use both majority and minority communalism, and has resulted in the victory of the Congress," Govindan maintained, adding that the Left worked only for secular votes, and they will go forward in the same manner. "This has nothing to do with any wave against the Left government, and we are on track to form a third successive Left government," he said, referring to the Assembly elections due next year. On his part, Satheesan said this victory is for the 'Team UDF'. 'We, right from the start of our campaign, were able to sense that there was a massive anger against the (Chief Minister Pinarayi) Vijayan government's nine years of rule. The Team UDF, comprising leaders and workers, worked very hard, and we got exactly what we had expected. We will continue to work as Team UDF as we are going to win a landslide win at the 2026 Assembly polls," he asserted.
Hans India
35 minutes ago
- Hans India
Marathi mandatory in Maharashtra, not Hindi: Minister Ashish Shelar
Mumbai: Mumbai BJP chief and Maharashtra Minister of Cultural Affairs and Information Technology Ashish Shelar on Monday claimed the ongoing controversy over the introduction of Hindi as a third language in Marathi and English schools for classes 1 to 5 is unrealistic, unreasonable and illogical. He clarified that Marathi is mandatory and not Hindi in all medium schools. Ministers clarification comes amid strong protests by the opposition and various organisations accusing the state government of betrayal by imposition of Hindi as a third language. 'In Maharashtra, only Marathi has been made compulsory. Hindi has not been introduced as a mandatory third language from Class 1. In fact, our government has removed the earlier compulsion of Hindi from Classes 5 to 8, and instead, made it available as an optional alternative -- alongside several other language choices. Therefore, the ongoing discussion around the issue is unrealistic, unreasonable and illogical,' said minister Shelar. "We are staunch supporters of the Marathi language and equally committed to the interests of students," asserted the minister at the press conference. Shelar said: "We welcome the discussions. Criticism arising from misunderstanding is acceptable in a democracy. Some people are also taking to protests, which is their right." Minister Shelar clarified the misconceptions and false narratives surrounding the introduction of Hindi as a third language. He emphasised: "The BJP has always been a strong proponent of Marathi and student welfare. In Maharashtra, only Marathi has been made mandatory. No other language has been imposed. Previously, Hindi was compulsory from Class 5 to 8, but this mandate has now been removed. Hindi is now only offered as one of the optional third language choices from Class 1 to 5, and with flexibility in selection." Shelar explained that 15 languages have been made available under the third-language option, and Hindi is just one of them, proposed considering the availability of teaching resources and learning material. 'A comprehensive study was conducted on this matter. A committee of government officers and over 450 experts from the linguistic and academic fields deliberated for over a year and prepared a draft. This draft was opened for public suggestions and objections, receiving over 3,800 responses. After analysing them, a steering committee submitted a report to the government recommending Hindi as one of the optional third-language choices,' said the minister. He pointed out that the National Education Policy (NEP) does not mandate any particular third language but recommends choosing it as per need. "Had the BJP intended to impose Hindi or any language, we would have done so when finalising the NEP. Hence, the accusations made against our intentions are completely baseless and irrational," he said. Referring to the historical context, he said: "The three-language formula was introduced in 1968. The 1964 and 1966 education commission reports recommended learning Hindi as the third language for national integration. Hence, the current debate is unreasonable." He added that there are 9,68,776 students enrolled in Class 1 under the Maharashtra State Board, of which 10 per cent study in non-Marathi medium schools. An additional 10 per cent are enrolled in CBSE and other boards. Due to the 2020 mandate for Marathi, these 20 per cent of students now study three languages -- English, their native language and Marathi. "If we decide to limit students from Marathi-medium schools to just two languages, it will lead to academic inequality. The new NEP emphasises skill development and diverse learning, awarding extra academic credits for subjects like arts and languages, which are counted in the Academic Bank of Credits. Students who don't learn a third language will fall behind by at least 10 per cent in earning these credits," Shelar said. He further said that national-level competitive exams, though conducted in 22 languages, often expect a third language. If Maharashtra doesn't offer this option, our students will be disadvantaged compared to those from other states. He also made it clear that he would not be responding to any political questions during the press conference, which was specifically held to present the facts on the language issue and its relevance to students' welfare. He added that political responses to allegations can be given later as needed.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Result a mirror to big parties
Jalandhar: The results of the Ludhiana West byelection hold a mirror to all parties, with only a year and a half left to the 2027 assembly elections. Though AAP won the seat by an improved margin compared to the 2022 assembly elections, there is a contrast in the way the party won it over three years ago, when it swept the state, and now when the state govt had to put its continuous, intense focus on the seat for four months. For Punjab, it has been the norm since 2002 that the incumbent party wins the byelection. Apart from the might of the state govt being behind its candidate, AAP's supremo Arvind Kejriwal also announced plans to make the newly elected MLA, Sanjeev Arora, a minister to ensure his victory. This promise was also a major vote-getter. A similar promise was made by CM Bhagwant Mann in the Jalandhar West bypoll, in which AAP got over 58% of the vote share. In Ludhiana West, the party's vote share is around 39%. Though Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu sought to take solace in "giving a good fight and not allowing a walkover to the ruling party" and claimed that the party was united, factionalism in the Punjab Congress was not subtle during electioneering. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the state unit of the Congress had contested under a unified command. Demography also favoured it at the time, given the sliding graph of SAD leadership among Sikhs and Sikh apprehensions about BJP. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Afterward, the Congress remained a divided house in Punjab and lacked imaginative politics, even as the ground situation in demanded so. During the 2022 assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it appeared to be contesting each seat separately, instead of working as a cohesive machine. Things have not been different in the byelections. If, on one hand, Congress is facing a challenge from AAP, BJP too can now dent its support base. A weak Akali Dal is working for Congress and AAP. These factors make it clear that senior Congress leaders' confidence that their party would be the default choice could be misplaced. The results also hold a mirror to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Though his party leaders and active supporters were projecting it as a four-cornered battle, the SAD candidate could not save his security deposit and remained short of touching a five-digit mark, even at a seat which the party was contesting when in alliance with BJP. The result is significant even as SAD's Parupkar Singh Ghuman was the only Sikh candidate in the fray, did not have any personal baggage, and SAD (Amritsar) also failed to get any traction. This indicates that a major section of the Sikh electorate, who make up a sizeable section in Ludhiana West, largely preferred AAP or Congress over the Akali Dal. BJP can take solace in the fact that it closely followed Congress, and its state president Sunil Jakhar said the result reflected that the people were looking at BJP as an alternative to Congress and AAP. However, in comparison to the parliamentary election, its vote share is almost half. Contrasting sides AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal continues to reinvent his strategy and narratives, throwing surprises to other parties. After picking up a Rajya Sabha member as a candidate for the byelection, he never denied until the polling day the opposition's claims that it was to clear his path to the Rajya Sabha. On Monday, he categorically said he was not going to the Upper House of Parliament. In contrast, Congress and SAD have been refusing to reinvent themselves or engage in imaginative politics. Mostly, they are in a reactionary mode, instead of coming up with original ideas. Like AAP, only BJP has shown the capacity to go beyond old templates.
