Tarun Chugh accuses AAP of misusing state machinery for Ludhiana West by-election campaign

Ludhiana, Jun 14: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, campaigning for BJP candidate Jeewan Gupta in the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election scheduled for June 19, strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for allegedly misusing state resources to influence the electoral outcome.

According to Chugh, the AAP government has deployed ministers, MLAs, and state officials extensively across Ludhiana West in what he described as a desperate attempt to sway voters amid growing dissatisfaction with its governance. He alleged that the ruling party has turned the entire state machinery into an election apparatus in anticipation of defeat.

Chugh also raised concerns over law and order, citing a series of grenade attacks and blasts reported in Punjab in recent months. He claimed that the government had failed to take effective action and accused it of ignoring public safety. He further criticised AAP’s anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nashian De Virudh, calling it a superficial effort that targeted minor offenders while allowing major criminal networks — including those linked to liquor, cable, and narcotics — to operate with impunity.

Describing Ludhiana as the financial capital of Punjab, Chugh said the city’s business community had been neglected by the current administration, which he claimed had delivered little in its 3.5 years in office. He asserted that voters in Ludhiana West were disillusioned with both AAP and the Congress and expressed confidence that the BJP would emerge as the preferred choice in the upcoming bypoll.