Ludhiana West bypoll 2025: All set for voting tomorrow; tight security and surveillance in place
Ludhiana West bypoll 2025: Campaigning for the Ludhiana West Assembly byelection, scheduled for June 19, officially ended on Tuesday. All major political parties gave a final push on the last day of canvassing with high-energy events across the constituency.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress held large roadshows, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) concluded its campaign with a press conference. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opted for a door-to-door outreach to connect with voters.
The by-lection, although not expected to change the ruling configuration in Punjab, is being viewed as a critical political indicator ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
AAP's final show led by Manish Sisodia
While Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal led earlier rounds of campaigning, the final day’s roadshow was spearheaded by AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia and state party president Aman Arora, along with minister Laljit Singh Bhullar. Several people also joined the party during this concluding campaign event.
Congress counters with Channi and Baghel
The Congress countered with its own show of strength, led by former Punjab Chief Minister and current Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi. He was joined by senior party leader and former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, with visible enthusiasm among party workers and supporters.
BJP and Akali Dal adopt different strategies
The BJP held a press conference asserting that voters would benefit more from Central government schemes if the party is elected. Meanwhile, SAD, under the leadership of former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, engaged in focused door-to-door campaigns to mobilise support.
Voting, security and surveillance measures
A total of 1.74 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes. Polling will be held on June 19, and counting is scheduled for June 23. District Election Officer Himanshu Jain confirmed that June 19 has been declared a paid holiday for all eligible voters in the constituency, including private sector employees. Employers failing to comply with this provision may face penalties.
To ensure transparency and law and order, the Punjab Police have set up 60 checkpoints and deployed over 1,000 personnel across the region. Additionally, 235 high-resolution CCTV cameras have been installed at 194 polling booths—including 41 external surveillance points. All cameras are connected via high-speed internet to enable live monitoring of the voting process.
The bypoll was necessitated by the untimely death of sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi, who passed away from a gunshot injury at his residence on January 14. The Election Commission announced the by-election on May 25, triggering an intense political battle.
AAP has fielded industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, while Congress nominated former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu. BJP’s candidate is Jivan Gupta, and SAD has named Paropkar Singh Ghumman as its contender.
- PTC NEWS
