Kathmandu – Months after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost power in the Delhi Assembly elections—and with party chief Arvind Kejriwal failing to win his own seat—speculation had been rife about Kejriwal possibly entering the Rajya Sabha. But that speculation has now come to an end.
The rumors gained traction when AAP nominated its sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election in Punjab. With Arora winning the seat, his Rajya Sabha position has officially become vacant, opening the path for a new member to be elected.
Many anticipated that Kejriwal would fill that vacancy and make his way to the upper house. However, Kejriwal has officially declined to contest the Rajya Sabha seat from Ludhiana, dashing those expectations. This has now shifted public and political attention toward who AAP will nominate instead.
Among the top contenders is Manish Sisodia, widely regarded as the second-most influential leader in AAP after Kejriwal. Despite being declared the party’s Deputy CM candidate in the Delhi polls, Sisodia also lost his seat. He currently serves as AAP’s Punjab in-charge, adding weight to his candidacy.
Another name circulating within the party is Satyendar Jain, a former minister in the Delhi government from 2015 to 2023 and a close aide of Kejriwal. Jain remains a trusted figure within the party’s inner circle.
A third and increasingly popular option within the party is to send a Punjab-based leader to the Rajya Sabha from this Punjab seat. Many AAP leaders at the local level believe that repeatedly sending leaders from Delhi to represent Punjab in the upper house may hurt the party’s standing in the state. This sentiment is gaining momentum as calls for regional representation grow stronger.
As AAP weighs its next move, the decision is likely to shape both the party’s national strategy and its local credibility in Punjab—especially at a time when AAP is navigating leadership challenges and electoral setbacks.
