Poll Code Violations in Ludhiana West By-Poll; Rupani Dies in Air Accident

With the upcoming Ludhiana West by-poll, two civic organizations—Association for Democratic Reforms, Ludhiana chapter and Punjab Election Watch—have submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 10 Jun demanding removal of Ludhiana’s District Election Officer 'for egregious dereliction of duty,' and called for the strict enforcement of the 'USD 46K expenditure limit' on candidates. The organizations have alleged rampant violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the ongoing campaigning by-poll scheduled on 19 Jun. The complaint, also addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer, Panjab, presented GPS-tagged, timestamped photographic evidence of illegal hoardings and campaign materials in violation of ECI guidelines. It further says, 'These materials are not only unauthorized and environmentally harmful but also likely to push candidate spending well beyond the legal threshold.' In these elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received over 20 notices from the District Election Commission for repeated breaches of the MCC but AAP has not responded. The campaign for a simple Member of Legislative Assembly has drawn disproportionate attention because the ruling AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora is already a member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament, RS). The speculation is that if Arora wins and vacates his position, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will become a RS member. AAP lost the Delhi Assembly elections in February 2025. While campaigning, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called Panjab CM a ‘mask’ and said AAP’s Delhi rejects are running show in Panjab. BJP’s union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, 'States that cooperate with the union govt’s policies are witnessing robust development. Sadly, Panjab is not among them.’ Puri also raised concerns on Panjab’s law and order situation, and termed the state govt’s ‘War on Drugs’ as a ‘hoax.’ Meanwhile, BJP Panjab incharge Vijay Rupani was travelling in the Air India flight from Ahmedabad, Gujarat which crashed immediately after take off on 12 Jun. 241 passengers including Rupani died. Another 29 people are confirmed dead on ground when the airplane crashed into nearby Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (earlier coverage).