09062025-LT-01.qxd 6/8/2025 11:24 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune AAP’S SHERRY KALSI LINKS DRUG MENACE TO SAD BJP LEADERS CAMP IN CITY TO LEAD GUPTA’S CAMPAIGN Senior BJP leaders have begun camping in Ludhiana to lead Jiwan Gupta’s campaign for bypoll. P2 SUNNY MAX 41°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 38°C SONALI BENDRE ON HER LATEST LITERARY OFFERING Hits back at BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa over ‘false’ accusations against AAP Government. P2 FORECAST Sonali Bendre, known for her grace on screen and resilience off it, is also making waves in literary space. P4 » » SUNSET MONDAY 7.23 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 5:21 AM » MONDAY | 9 JUNE 2025 | LUDHIANA Won’t let AAP misuse official machinery: Cong Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring today said they would not let the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to misuse official machinery during the Ludhiana (West) bypoll. “Firstly, we will not let anyone misuse official machinery. Secondly, proper record will be maintained of officials trying to misuse their positions to assist AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora,” he said. Dispelling the myth that the bypoll are usually won by the ruling party, Warring said, “We won Barnala, supposedly the stronghold of AAP and we will certainly win Ludhiana (West), which has always been our stronghold.” He said there’s a lot of antiincumbency against the AAP government over its failure on all fronts, especially law and order. AAP promising moon, Arorawillaccelerategrowth:Harbhajan won’t deliver: Ashu Tribune News Service LUDHIANA (W) BYPOLL Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 Congress candidate for the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, today asked the Aam Aadmi Party’s leadership to tell the people what they have done in the past three-and-a-half years. “If you could not do anything in the past three-and-ahalf years, what can be expected of you in the remaining tenure?” he asked the AAP , while addressing a public meeting in Rishi Nagar. He said AAP leaders were promising the moon to voters just to befool them. Ashu said, “Three-and-ahalf years are more than Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu with new inductees. enough to judge performance of AAP Chief Minister . Bhagwant Mann-led government has been a total failure. AAP has resorted to robbery and victimisation of political opponents.” Ashu said he was getting overwhelming support from the voters. “My fight is only against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora is a pawn forced into the contest,” he said. He disclosed that even several AAP leaders, supposedly holding prominent positions in the government, have told him that they had no power or authority. He claimed that even their social media handles were being controlled from Delhi. Ludhiana, June 8 Cricketer-turned-politician Harbhajan Singh today held a roadshow in support of AAP Ludhiana (West) bypoll candidate Sanjeev Arora. The roadshow commenced from Hotel Onn and culminated at Saggu Chowk. Riding atop an open vehicle, Harbhajan said it was a matter of pride for him to campaign in Ludhiana. “I feel lucky to be here among the warm-hearted people of Ludhiana,” he said, fondly recalling his cricketing days at the PAU ground. He also mentioned that both he and Arora were elected to the Rajya Sabha three years ago, calling it a moment of shared honour. He said, “Sanjeev Arora has relentlessly pursued development for Ludhiana. I’ve seen him regularly meeting ministers to push for projects. He is perhaps the only MP who has remained dedicated solely to the cause of his city’s devel- Cricketer-turned-politician Harbhajan Singh holds a roadshow with AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora. opment.” “A vote for Sanjeev Arora is a vote for the devel- opment of Ludhiana,” said Harbhajan, adding that Aro- ra would accelerate progress in key areas. Free Punjab from Delhi-based ‘looters’: MP Gandhi SAD’s Ghumman spearheads people-centric campaign Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 Campaigning for Ludhiana (West) candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi today appealed to the voters to free Punjab from Delhibased “looters”. Gandhi, who was once in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said those who got votes in the name of AAP became “special” after coming to power. Those who opposed the VIP culture started enjoying special facilities. Congress MP Dharamvira Gandhi addresses the media on Sunday. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann knelt down before the Delhi leadership and handed over the keys of Punjab’s interests and the government treasury to Delhi. He said, “AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former minister Satyendar Jain never get tire of proclaiming their honesty. However, they themselves have spent several months in a jail in corruption cases. Now, they are claiming to make corruptionfree Punjab.” Calling Kejriw- al and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha enemies of Punjab, Gandhi said any MP , MLA or office-bearer of AAP who talks about the party’s principles is shown the door. Meanwhile, the Congress got a shot in the arm after Kulwant Singh Kanti, Ranjit Singh Kannu, Prem Singh, Binder Singh Bindu, Tota Singh, Gurjit, Sardar Singh, Binder Singh and other leaders joined the party MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and former MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra were present on the occasion. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 SAD Ludhiana (West) bypoll candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman, a legal expert, is spearheading a people-centric campaign — driven by his entire family. From early morning meetings to late night door-to-door interactions, Ghumman’s campaign is a family operation in the truest sense. His wife, Arvinder Kaur Ghum- man, is leading outreach among women voters, emphasising welfare, education and healthcare. His daughter, Ishwin Kaur Ghumman and son-in-law, Sachin Arora, have digitised the campaigning to reach out to the young voters. His brother, KS Ghumman, has become the logistical backbone — overseeing ground teams, public meetings and media coordination. His sister is actively engaging with senior citizens and women’s groups in the segment, offering a personal touch that resonates with local communities. Adding further energy and connectivity to the campaign is his niece, who has been instrumental in engaging with first-time voters and organising awareness drives. Even his extended family — sister-in-law and brotherin-law — can be seen actively continued on page 2 Cong ‘factionalism’ Kejri’s entry into Upper House out in the open AAP’s sole objective, says Bittu Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 In the run up to the highstakes Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll, scheduled on June 19, deep-rooted “factionalism” in the Congress has come to the fore — much to the advantage of its political rivals. The schism within the party was quite evident yesterday when two separate press conferences, one by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and the other by party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, were held within a span of one hour. The venue of both the press conferences — Hotel Park Plaza and party’s election office on Ferozepur Road — was just 100 metres away from each other. While Ashu was accompanied by Congress election in-charge Rana Gurjeet Singh and MLA Pargat Singh, PCC chief Warring was accompanied by former MLAs, including DCC head Sanjeev Talwar. Party insiders said Ashu was reluctant to share the stage with Warring due to differences with him and his supporters. Despite Warring being Ludhiana MP Ashu has , reportedly written to party high command that he does not want PCC chief to cam- Sukhmeet Bhasin ‘Ashu reluctant to share stage with PCC chief Warring’ paign for him. Party insiders said factionalism could harm electoral prospects of Ashu, who is considered to be on a firm footing, giving run for the money to his rivals. The factionalism came out with the rejoining of two former leaders Kamaljeet Singh Karwal and Karan Warring. Both had left the Congress and joined the BJP Karwal even joined . AAP and had contested the 2022 Assembly poll on the Congress ticket from Atam Nagar. Former MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains took offence to Karwal’s joining the Congress, since he’s a claimant of party ticket from here. Bains said Ashu deliberately made Karwal join Congress to create a rival for him. Earlier, Both Ashu and Bains enjoyed good relationship. It’s evident from the fact that when Bains faced rape charges, Ashu, who was a minister then, was accused of helping the former. During the 2024 General Elections, Warring helped Bains to get into the Congress — much to the annoyance of Ashu. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 8 In a pivotal press conference held here today at Shehanshah Palace, Ferozepur Road, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, strongly advised voters in the Ludhiana West constituency to critically evaluate their electoral choices. He unequivocally endorsed BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta as the most viable option for fostering comprehensive development within the region, while simultaneously issuing a cautionary note against supporting candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. Bittu articulated his concerns regarding the internal stability and efficacy of both the AAP and Congress, asserting that their respective leaderships have demonstrably failed to address internal discord. He posited that a vote cast for either of these parties would inevitably lead to further challenges for the electorate. This stern warning underscored his belief that the prevailing internal conflicts within these parties would directly impede effective governance and public welfare. Elaborating on his critique, Bittu highlighted the apparent lack of unified support for the AAP candidate, Sanjeev Arora, among city-based MLAs. He further cited Chief LACS Ravneet Singh Bittu interacts with mediapersons in Ludhiana. Minister Bhagwant Mann’s recent acknowledgement that a cabinet berth for Arora was not guaranteed, drawing a parallel to Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat’s unfulfilled aspirations in Jalandhar. Bittu emphatically stated, “The Aam Aadmi Party’s primary objective appears to be solely the facilitation of Arvind Kejriwal’s entry into the Rajya Sabha, with little genuine focus on substantive governance.” Turning his attention to the Congress, he painted a grim picture of entrenched infighting, detailing instances where leaders assisting the Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu faced immediate and severe repercussions from Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Amrinder Singh Warring, and vice versa. He concluded that given these persistent internal divisions, any vote cast for the candidates representing these two parties would ultimately constitute a wasted electoral exercise. c m y b Bittu passionately appealed to the electorate to cast their votes in favour of the BJP and its candidate, Jiwan Gupta, promising to replicate the developmental strides witnessed in other Indian states. He cited the recent project in Jammu and Kashmir, including the engineering marvel of the bridge over the Chenab river, as a testament to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unwavering commitment to transformative infrastructure. He also drew attention to the iconic Statue of Unity, which he asserted has surpassed the Statue of Liberty in global recognition and visitor appeal. The Union Minister did not shy away from directly criticising both the Congress and AAP for their alleged tendency to question crucial military operations, specifically citing instances like the Balakot airstrikes and the recent Operation Sindoor, implying a lack of nationalistic resolve. continued on page 2