Ludhiana, June 7 (IANS) BJP national General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday demanded that the Election Commission of India immediately ban election campaigning by AAP leaders who are facing criminal charges in Punjab’s bypoll.

Taking strong exception to the campaigning being conducted by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, the BJP demanded that they be prohibited from entering the Ludhiana (East) Assembly constituency. Chugh said Kejriwal has been plotting a backdoor entry into the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, and his “dubious political games are a grave insult to the people of Punjab”.

Demanding intervention by the ECI, Chugh reiterated that AAP leaders facing serious criminal allegations should be barred from campaigning in the constituency. Chugh also campaigned across various wards of the constituency, appealing to voters to strengthen Prime Minister Modi’s vision for Punjab, particularly for the welfare of farmers.

He further urged the Ludhiana administration not to succumb to the pressure exerted by individuals like Kejriwal, who are under trial for corruption-related charges in Delhi.

The BJP has fielded Jiwan Gupta for the four-cornered by-election on June 19. The state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in February announced Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the seat that fell vacant following the demise of sitting party MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. The 58-year-old legislator died after sustaining a gunshot wound to his head at his house in January.

For the by-election, the main Opposition Congress has fielded former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is being accused in a multi-crore foodgrain transportation and labour cartage tender scam.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has nominated Parupkar Singh Ghuman for the bypoll.

In the 2022 Assembly election, the AAP won the Ludhiana West seat with 34.36 per cent vote share. Gogi had secured 40,443 votes as compared to his nearest rival from the Congress, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who got 32,931 votes with 28.06 per cent vote share.

–IANS

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