AAP on Monday announced names of former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Delhi MLA and co-incharge in Punjab Raghav Chadha, IIT professor Sandeep Pathak educationist Ashok Kumar Mittal and businessman Sanjeev Arora for Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

New Delhi: Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday criticizes AAP convenor and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on the party’s Rajya Sabha picks from Punjab but spared former cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Ahead of recently concluded assembly elections, Sidhu had posted his photo with Harbhajan Singh, who has been nominated by AAP for RAj Sabha.
Sidhu, in tweet, questions the AAP’s candidates except cricketer Harbhajam Singh. He says, “New batteries for the Delhi remote control, it’s blinking….. Harbhajan is an exception, the rest are batteries and betrayal of Punjab ! @ArvindKejriwal.
AAP on Monday announced names of former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Delhi MLA and co-incharge in Punjab Raghav Chadha, IIT professor Sandeep Pathak educationist Ashok Kumar Mittal and businessman Sanjeev Arora for Rajya Sabha seats from the state. Five Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant on April 9 and names have to be submitted by Monday for elections on March 31.
Raghav Chadha (33) was appointed as the Punjab co-incharge in 2020 and has stayed put in Punjab, overseeing the rollout of the AAP’s strategy. Chadha, vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board, was ably articulating the party’s position as well as puncturing the charges of the opposition. If elected, he will be the youngest Rajya Sabha MP.
Harbhajan Singh (41) had met with former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu before the elections, fuelling speculation of his debut in politics as a Congress member. But the former cricketer had denied it.
Sandeep Pathak, a professor of Physics at the premier IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), is seen to be instrumental in AAP’s rise and victory in Punjab. He is believed to be close to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, who took over as Chief Minister of Punjab’s new AAP government last week.
Ashok Kumar Mittal is the founder of Lovely Professional University, and is described by the party as a renowned academician and social activist. Sanjeev Arora is a textile businessman from Ludhiana.