The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has chosen Rajinder Gupta, chairman of the Trident Group, as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Punjab, scheduled to be held on October 24, 2025. It is to be noted that the bypoll is being conducted to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, who stepped down from the Upper House following his election to the state assembly.
“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,” said the party in a statement, news agency PTI reported.
The chairman emeritus of the Trident Group, Gupta, recently resigned as the vice-chairman of the State Economic Policy and Planning Board and as chairperson of the Kali Devi temple advisory committee, fuelling speculation that the AAP could field him for the bypoll.
Rajinder Gupta is among the richest industrialists in Punjab. Goods produced by the Trident Group are now sent both domestically and internationally. He is the founder and chairman of Trident Limited, the leading company of the $1 billion Trident Group. Furthermore, it has been reported that Rajinder Gupta has been the richest person in Punjab. Rajinder Gupta was born on January 2, 1959. The Trident Group is headquartered in Ludhiana, Punjab. The major industries of the Trident Group are home textiles, paper manufacturing, chemicals, and power.
