Latest news with #ParupkarSinghGhumman
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP, SAD candidates in Ludhiana West express confidence as parties await results on June 23.
Ludhiana: Now that the fate of candidates contesting the Ludhiana West bypoll is sealed in the EVMs, all eyes are on June 23, when counting will take place and the constituency will get its new MLA. However, for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the outcome of this bypoll could shape their prospects for the 2027 assembly elections. On polling day, both parties' candidates — Jiwan Gupta (BJP) and Parupkar Singh Ghumman (SAD) — were seen calm and composed. They even shared smiles and a cup of tea, expressing confidence in the voters of the West constituency. Still, party leaders are well aware that their future in Punjab politics may hinge on this result. Perhaps this is why they kept urging residents to step out and vote, especially as voter turnout remained low through the day. The BJP leadership, not just from Punjab but also from Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh, actively campaigned in support of Jiwan Gupta. Throughout the campaign, they consistently targeted the ruling party over its unfulfilled promises to the people of Punjab. While the BJP secured a decent vote share in the 2022 assembly and 2024 parliamentary elections, its recent performance in the municipal corporation polls was underwhelming, winning only 2 out of 17 wards in the West constituency. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Doutor: Manter a massa muscular após os 50 anos depende deste hábito noturno Revista do Homem Saiba Mais Undo According to party insiders, the BJP managed to win this assembly seat during the Lok Sabha elections only when their candidate crossed the 45,000-vote mark. The leadership remains hopeful that, this time too, voters — disillusioned with both Congress and AAP — will give the BJP another chance. The BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta claimed that bypoll results will be in their favour and they will win the elections after results are announced on June 23. He said people would vote with renewed hope for the development of their area. Claiming confidence in the outcome, he added that he was visiting polling booths where party workers were assisting voters in locating their names andkeeping a check on the voting process. Everything, he asserted, was going in their favour. Meanwhile, for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), questions are being raised over whether the party can repeat the success of past bypolls of 1995, when Manpreet Badal defeated the Congress govt in Gidderbaha, or in 2019, when Manpreet Ayali triumphed in the Dakha bypoll, again against the Congress. Party president Sukhbir Badal camped in the city for over two weeks, holding one-on-one meetings with party workers and voters to galvanize support. The SAD candidate also showed full confidence and claimed that people will cast vote in his favour, as they have decided to oust the AAP from Punjab, with this bypoll as its beginning. MSID:: 121955652 413 |
Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘People want a reliable regional party': Bikram Singh Majithia on SAD revival and AAP's ‘failures'
As political heat rises in the Assembly bypoll-bound Ludhiana West constituency, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia is actively campaigning for SAD candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman. Ahead of the June 19 bypoll, Majithia discusses the party's revival efforts, the return of leaders, criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, and the possibility of a future alliance between the SAD and the BJP. Bikram Singh Majithia: The campaign is progressing well, and the public response to our candidate, Parupkar Singh Ghumman, has been overwhelmingly positive. Several senior SAD leaders, including Sikander Singh Maluka, Sohan Singh Thandal, and Anil Joshi, have rejoined the party during this campaign. We have also welcomed several new members. This wave of support shows that people are eager to strengthen Punjab's oldest regional party. Bikram Singh Majithia: No doubt, ruling parties usually enjoy an advantage in bypolls — that has been the case historically, whether under SAD-BJP or Congress governments. However, this time, there is palpable public anger against the AAP government over unfulfilled promises. These include the Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for women above 18, the non-implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, and the failure to provide adequate employment opportunities. The list goes on. Moreover, it is evident that Arvind Kejriwal, the former Delhi CM, has reduced Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to a mere rubber stamp. It was Kejriwal, not the Punjab CM, who announced that Sanjeev Arora, the AAP's Ludhiana West candidate, would be made a minister if he won. Normally, such cabinet decisions should be announced by the chief minister — this shows how insecure the ruling party is. They seem to be trailing and are trying to lure voters with last-minute promises. But the voters are no longer gullible — they have seen through these gimmicks. We fear that between June 17 and 19, the AAP might resort to unfair means, including intimidation of Opposition workers, in desperation to get Arora elected, possibly to vacate his Rajya Sabha seat for Arvind Kejriwal. Bikram Singh Majithia: That is not for me to decide. However, historically, the SAD-BJP alliance has worked very well in maintaining communal harmony in Punjab. When the alliance was formed in 1996 under the leadership of Parkash Singh Badal from the SAD and Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the BJP, it brought great relief to the people of Punjab. However, under current circumstances, our focus remains on reviving and strengthening our regional party, the SAD. Bikram Singh Majithia: Several leaders have already returned to the party this month, and many more are expected to rejoin in the coming weeks. We are on our way to becoming a united Akali Dal once again. I appeal to all those still outside the party to set aside personal ambitions and come together to strengthen our shared platform. Our goal must be the welfare of Punjab, not individual egos. The state's condition under the AAP regime is deteriorating rapidly. Punjab has incurred a record Rs 1 lakh crore debt under this government, pushing the total debt to Rs 4 lakh crore. We are in a financial emergency — the government has begun withdrawing funds from departments to avoid defaulting on loans. This has led to a complete halt in developmental work. At this critical juncture, we must rise above differences and reunite under one banner — the SAD. People are looking for a party they can trust. For the sake of Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat, unity is the need of the hour. And I'm confident that day is not far.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Govt giving fake property letters'
Ludhiana: SAD candidate for West bypoll, advocate Parupkar Singh Ghumman, Saturday launched a scathing attack on AAP-led Punjab govt and party candidate, Sanjeev Arora, over the distribution of "fake" provisional letters in "lal lakir" areas. Challenging the govt to show one legal registry, he alleged the scheme was a lie backed by illegal paperwork and zero legal standing. He said the SC had, till date, not allowed any registration or ownership claims in "lal lakir" areas but the AAP govt was handing out papers with no legal value, misleading thousands of innocent families. Ghumman claimed that during the 2022 state polls, former Congress MLAs also distributed cheques to households but when people reached banks, the cheques bounced and they were fined. "Sanjeev Arora has not delivered anything real as Rajya Sabha MP, and now he wants to mislead Ludhiana West as an MLA," he said, adding that people need permanent legal solutions, not political stunts. tnn Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Support SAD to foster peace, devp in Punjab: Sukhbir
Ludhiana: (SAD) president on Thursday urged people of Ludhiana West to strengthen the regional party and pave the way for overall development, peace and communal harmony in Punjab. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Campaigning for party candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman, Sukhbir Badal said, "Only a regional party can fulfil the aspirations of Punjabis and resolve pending issues, besides providing people-centric governance. Parties from Delhi only seek to exploit Punjab." On the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress governments, Badal said, "These governments acted like the erstwhile East India Company. They both looted Punjab to fill coffers of their Delhi leadership. The Ludhiana West bypoll has given an opportunity to take the AAP government to task and begin its countdown," He added that Punjab had never suffered as much as it had under AAP rule. "The law and order situation is such that industrialists are opting to invest in other states now. Extortions and targeted killings have become the norm. AAP legislators are working in collusion with the drug mafia, due to which drug trafficking and drug overdose deaths are only increasing," Sukbir rued. Drawing a comparison with the SAD governance, he said, "Our guiding philosophy is 'sarbat da bhala'. We value and respect each community. People of all communities always felt that the late Parkash Singh Badal was one of them. Such was the confidence all communities had in the former CM and the SAD." Sukhbir also spoke about SAD's track record of development. "Look around you. All development projects, be it thermal plants, airports, or expressways - all came up during SAD governments. The same is the case with all major infrastructure works in Ludhiana, be it the elevated road or the Southern Bypass." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He also urged people to distinguish between all candidates in the fray before exercising their franchise. "Parupkar Ghumman is a leading advocate who is known for several social initiatives. He is most deserving of your votes. In stark contrast, AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora is based in Gurgaon and is only contesting elections to pave the way for Arvind Kejriwal's ascendency to the Rajya Sabha," Badal added. MSID:: 121803354 413 |
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Milking Op Sindoor in poll-bound Ludhiana: AAP candidate's hoardings hailing Army mushroom across city
While the armed forces are battling it out at the borders amid heightened tension with neighboring Pakistan, 'Operation Sindoor' has started resonating politically in poll-bound Ludhiana West constituency of Punjab, even as the bypoll schedule is yet to be announced. In an attempt to milk the situation, AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora's hoardings carrying his image while saluting the Indian Army's operation mushroomed across the city overnight. The hoardings installed across Ludhiana city at prominent locations reads: 'Pakistani aatank nu moo tod jawaab.. I salute our Armed Forces for Operation Sindoor..' Following its debacle in Delhi assembly elections, the Ludhiana West bye-election has turned into a prestige battle for the AAP, currently in power only in Punjab. Arora, also the Rajya Sabha MP, is going all out to campaign in Ludhiana. AAP bigwigs, including national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, are already campaigning for Arora and visiting Punjab. While BJP is yet to announce the candidate for the bypoll, Congress candidate and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has uploaded a poster on his Facebook campaigning page. The poster with his photo reads: 'Operation Sindoor… Salute to Indian Army.' Similar hoardings have also been put by SAD across the city with photos of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and party's general secretary Maheshinder Singh Grewal, sans image of party's bypoll candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman. The hoardings put up by SAD reads: 'Shiromani Akali Dal salutes our brave Armed Forces for executing Operation Sindoor with precision and restraint. We stand with the Govt of India for its decisive action against terrorism.' Speaking to The Indian Express, Arora said that he got the hoardings installed hailing Operation Sindoor as a 'tribute to the Army.' 'I did not get those hoardings made for any election campaign or to get votes but only as a tribute to the Army and to show that we are standing with the nation in this tough time. In fact, I also did not buy any new space for these hoardings but got the old ones replaced,' said Arora. However, SAD candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman said that Arora was resorting to the 'lowest level to get votes' and 'did not even spare even the Indian Army that has nothing to do with politics.' 'Being a n candidate and putting your own photos bigger than those of the Army on the hoardings and dotting entire city with them is the lowest. This shows how desperate AAP is to win this seat because they know that people are no more with them. AAP is politicising the Army for its own publicity in Ludhiana,' Ghumman said, adding, 'My own family has so many Army veterans that we know what it means to go at the border and fight for the country. He is simply try to take political mileage from an Army operation.' 'Also, a candidate cannot spend more than Rs 1.60 lakh on campaigning until the election is not announced but since he belongs to the ruling party, he is being given a free hand by the administration,' the SAD candidate added. Asked why his own party has also installed Op Sindoor hoardings in the city, Ghumman said, 'I am the SAD candidate for the election but my image is nowhere on those hoardings. Those have been installed by Grewal in his personal capacity. My stand would have been the same had my party put up such hoardings for election campaigning.' Ashu added, 'Everyone has his own way to show their support for the Army but yes, the Army Operation should not be politicised.' Rajnish Dhiman, BJP Ludhiana president said that putting up hoardings mentioning Army Operation in a poll-bound constituency was 'a shallow move by the AAP.' 'Our defence minister Rajnath Singh has already announced that the Operation Sindoor is not over yet. Our forces are still battling it out at the borders. Our party is busy in making list of volunteers who would help people in case this military conflict with Pakistan escalates. In such times, putting hoardings with own image and that of the Army for political mileage is unethical.' Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
