Battle Beyond the Ballot: Ludhiana's Controversial By-Election

Bharat Bhushan Ashu, the Congress candidate for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, declared on Sunday that his real competition is not with AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora but with Arvind Kejriwal, who is allegedly eyeing a Rajya Sabha seat through Punjab.

Addressing numerous meetings in the constituency, Ashu asserted that Arora was 'reluctant' to join the race, reportedly resisting AAP's plans due to awareness of on-ground realities, but allegedly pressured to make way for Kejriwal's ambitions.

Ashu, also Punjab Congress's working president, criticized the AAP government for recent governance failures, citing the Amritsar hooch tragedy and increased crime rates, accusing them of neglecting state welfare for political gains.

(With inputs from agencies.)