Aam Aadmi Party has announced five names for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Five Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab will fall vacant on April 9 and names have to be submitted today for elections on March 31.
The names of the five candidates are Phagwara-based Lovely Professional University (LPU) Chancellor Ashok Mittal, Jalandhar-based cricketer Harbhajan Singh, party's co-in-charge Raghav Chadha, industrialist Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana and Delhi IIT professor Dr. Sandeep Pathak.
Why Aam Aadmi Party selected educationalist Ashok Mittal as a Rajya Sabha Candidate?
Ashok Mittal, a law graduate, is the Founder Chancellor Lovely Professional University (LPU). Lovely Professional University is amongst one of the largest single-campus university in India with more than 30,000 on-campus students from across all the states of India and 50 countries.
He has achieved laurels not only for LPU and himself but also for the State of Punjab. His philanthropy is visible in the scholarships being granted of hundreds of crores of rupees every year and giving employment benefiting the economy of Punjab in manifold facets.
LPU is the first private University where for the first time Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited a private university. LPU also has had the privilege of welcoming Shri. Pranab Mukherjee, the Hon’ble President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble VicePresident of India and various Presidents, Prime Ministers, Noble Laureates, and renowned celebrities from across the globe.
LPU created history when Tokyo Olympics, 14 LPU students participated, out of which 13 students including Neeraj Chopra, won one Gold, one Silver and two Bronze medals.
Ashok Mittal is a renowned personality. Aam Aadmi party does not have big faces associated with their party. In order to make their party’s name they have selected Ashok Mittal as Rajya Sabha Candidate.
Moreover, he has a clean image in the society due to which AAP will get benefitted. This will help AAP to establish themselves in other states too. They are looking forward to Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections. They are also eyeing Haryana and Rajasthan too. By associating with such great personalities AAP’s strength in Rajya Sabha is likely to get increase.
Apart from Ashok Mittal, the other four candidates – Harbhajan Singh, Raghav Chadha, Sanjeev Arora and Sandeep Pathak have also established their names in the country.
Harbhajan Singh played for the Indian cricket team from 1998 to 2016 and made a special place in the hearts of the people of the country with his amazing and unique bowling. Singh also captained Mumbai Indians and Kings Xl Punjab in IPL.
Raghav Chadha is the party's Punjab affairs co-in-charge and a great confidant of AAP's national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Sanjeev Arora runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust. He founded it after his parents lost their lives due to cancer and treated more than 160 cancer patients free of cost.
Sandeep Pathak was in the role of Chanakya of the party in the Punjab assembly elections. He joined the party to contribute to Arvind Kejriwal's dream of a corruption-free India. He has been working and strengthening the party by staying behind the scenes for many years now.