The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Sunday that prominent industrialist Rajinder Gupta, one of the wealthiest individuals from Punjab, will be its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll, scheduled for October 24.
This bypoll is necessitated by the resignation of AAP member Sanjeev Arora, who stepped down from the Upper House after being elected to the state assembly. Arora is currently serving as a minister in the cabinet of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, with his term initially set to end on April 9, 2028.
In a statement, AAP’s political affairs committee declared, “The political affairs committee announces to nominate Rajinder Gupta as a candidate for election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) by the elected members of the legislative assembly of Punjab.”
Rajinder Gupta, 66, is cited as one of the richest individuals in Punjab, with a net worth estimated at $1.22 billion, approximately ₹10,000 crore, according to Forbes. Born in Bathinda to cotton dealer Nohar Chand, Gupta has made significant contributions in both business and politics. He founded Trident Limited, the flagship company of Trident Group, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 by then-President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for his distinguished services in trade and industry.
In 2022, Gupta stepped down as the Chairman and Managing Director of Trident Group due to health reasons, currently holding the title of Chairman Emeritus. Trident Group, based in Ludhiana, is a diversified conglomerate involved in textiles, paper, and chemicals, with manufacturing facilities in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
Gupta has held various government positions, serving as vice-chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board from 2012 to 2022 under both Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP administrations. Since AAP took power in 2022, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Punjab State Economic Policy and Planning Board and became chairman of the Sri Kali Devi Advisory Committee. Recently, he has resigned from these roles.
His prior roles include chairperson of FICCI’s advisory council for Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, as well as chairman of the board of governors of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. Gupta also has experience in sports administration, having served as president of the Punjab Cricket Association.
AAP holds a significant majority in the Punjab assembly, with 93 members in the 117-member body, which positions Gupta favorably for election to the Rajya Sabha.
Earlier this year, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal dispelled rumors about his possible candidacy for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab following Arora’s win in the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll. Arora won the seat by a margin of 10,637 votes against Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
The bypoll comes as a result of the passing of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. According to the notification, nominations for the bypoll will start on October 6, with a deadline for submission on October 13, and scrutiny of nominations scheduled for October 14. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 16, with polling set for October 24 and results to be declared the same day.
Currently, AAP has six members in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab: Balbir Singh Seechewal, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, and Vikramjit Singh Sahney. The party has previously nominated industrialists like Sushil Gupta from Haryana to the Rajya Sabha.
