Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjeev Arora has stepped down from the Rajya Sabha after being elected as the MLA from Ludhiana West in the recent Punjab bypolls. His resignation was accepted by Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday, in accordance with Article 101(3)(b) of the Constitution. Arora, who won the Ludhiana West by-election, was sworn in as an MLA on Saturday in Chandigarh, with Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan administering the oath. The AAP successfully retained the seat.

Punjab’s New and Renewable Energy Minister Aman Arora praised Sanjeev Arora as an honest leader and thanked voters for their continued trust in AAP, Arvind Kejriwal, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He emphasized the public’s faith in AAP’s governance and Sanjeev Arora’s integrity. AAP Punjab chief also stated that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in corruption or the drug trade.

With Arora’s shift to the state assembly, his Rajya Sabha seat has become vacant. The party has not yet announced a replacement. When asked about the vacancy, Sanjeev Arora told ANI that AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal would take the final call. In the bypoll, Arora secured a victory margin of 10,637 votes, receiving a total of 35,179 votes. The seat had fallen vacant earlier this year following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi. Congress had fielded former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, while SAD nominated Parupkar Singh Ghumman.