Written by Mallica JoshiNew Delhi | October 6, 2025 05:10 AM IST 3 min readRajinder GuptaIn naming industrialist Rajinder Gupta as its nominee for the Rajya Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has tried to quell rumours and dissent at the same time.The announcement, which came after months of speculation as MP Sanjeev Arora resigned from the upper house of the Parliament to contest the Ludhiana West Assembly bypolls and won, comes at a time that the party’s focus is largely on winning a majority in Punjab again in 2027.Punjab is the only state where AAP is in power after it lost to BJP in the Delhi Assembly polls in February. It also has MLAs in Gujarat, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir.After Arora’s resignation, there was speculation that the party would nominate senior leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to Rajya Sabha. This came after party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said in a press conference that he will not be the party’s pick for the role.“There were several discussions around the party’s pick but it was made clear in the first few weeks after Arora ji’s resignation that an outsider will not be nominated. Nominating Arvind ji or Manish ji would send the wrong message. It would make it seem like they are only interested in remaining in office, irrespective of what the office is. It was clear that the choice will be a person rooted in Punjab,” a senior party leader said, adding that by choosing Gupta, the party has also managed to send the message that people from Punjab, not Delhi, will be given primacy.AAP has seven Rajya Sabha berths from Punjab. Of these, five were given to leaders and prominent persons from Punjab, including former India team cricketer Harbhajan Singh, environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and founder of Lovely Professional University Ashok Mittal. Two leaders from Delhi — Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak — were also sent to Rajya Sabha from the state. “Since most of the party leadership, including Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal, have been spending time in Punjab, there is a feeling that the government in the state is being run by Delhi leaders. This move is expected to smoothen things over a little,” another senior leader said.“With elections in Punjab expected to be held in a little over a year, it was also important that the people of the state be reassured that AAP does not see them as a means to power but as participants. As for Gupta’s profile, AAP has always tried to select prominent and well-known faces in Punjab. He is no stranger to governance as he has been part of several important government committees and bodies,” the leader added.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Aam Aadmi Party AAPAam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal