The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a significant win in the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election held on Monday, June 23, 2025, despite criticism from opposition parties, who accused the ruling party of leveraging government resources to influence the outcome.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora emerged victorious with 35,179 votes, defeating Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a margin of 10,637 votes. Ashu received 24,542 votes, while the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jiwan Gupta garnered 20,323 votes, finishing third. Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman placed fourth with 8,203 votes.
The win offers a morale boost to AAP after recent setbacks in the Delhi Assembly elections and a lackluster performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where it won just 3 of the 13 seats it contested in Punjab. Political observers see the Ludhiana West victory as a much-needed reprieve for the party in the state.
Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann celebrated the result on social media, stating,
“This remarkable triumph reflects the people’s immense satisfaction with our government’s work. Every promise made during the by-election will be fulfilled as a top priority.”
Following his defeat, Bharat Bhushan Ashu resigned as Working President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. In response, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring maintained that the party would reflect seriously on the outcome but remains strong at the grassroots level.