NEW DELHI: A dramatic turn of events preceding the Ludhiana West by-election saw a local court on Wednesday reject Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s anticipatory bail plea as “infructuous.” The Punjab Vigilance Bureau apprised the court that Ashu had not been included as an accused in the FIR for the school land misuse case but had merely been called to assist in the investigation.
The FIR, filed on January 8 at Ludhiana’s Division No. 5 police station, pertains to 4.7 acres of land in Sarabha Nagar that was originally allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust for a charitable school. The school committee is alleged to have misused the plot to run commercial operations. Ashu’s attorney, Vijay Mahendru, stated, “As Ashu is neither an accused nor wanted for arrest, the court found the plea for bail unnecessary. A detailed order will be issued on Thursday.”
The timing of the summons—June 5—triggered a political tempest, as Ashu is the Congress candidate in the all-important June 19 by-election. The Congress labelled the AAP government as misusing state machinery to sabotage Ashu’s campaign. In return, the Punjab government suspended Ludhiana Vigilance SSP Jagatpreet Singh, accusing him of conspiring with Ashu and assisting in the summoning to elicit sympathy.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have been vigorously campaigning for AAP candidate, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora. During a rally in Ludhiana, Kejriwal made a provocative remark, saying, “If the AAP candidate is not elected from Ludhiana West, not a single work will happen here—no roads, no sewers, no water.” He also declared that if Arora comes to power, he would be included in the Punjab Cabinet. Congress responded forcefully.
Party spokesperson Pawan Khera called Kejriwal’s remarks anti-democratic and asked if a ministerial seat had already been promised prior to the vote. Ashu himself invited the AAP leadership for a public debate on governance and corruption, saying that whereas he has been acquitted by the High Court in previous cases, Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are out on bail in serious cases.
Ashu charged AAP with acting as if they would govern Punjab like a colony from Delhi and asserted that the people of Ludhiana would answer this high-handedness at the polling booth. He further stated that AAP had “failed to keep its promises” and was attempting to control the narrative by issuing threats and gimmickry.
The Ludhiana West campaign has gained momentum in the last few days, with all prominent parties—Congress, AAP, BJP, and SAD—making serious attempts to win the seat that fell vacant due to the passing of MLA Gurpreet Gogi. AAP suffered a recent jolt as its women’s wing president, Preeti Malhotra, joined SAD (Amritsar), further putting the party in difficulty.
As election day on June 19 approaches, the mood in Ludhiana West is tense, with legal turns, political sloganeering, and sharp personal assaults characterising the campaign. The outcome will be an important litmus test, not only for the parties but also for public opinion on governance and political responsibility in Punjab
