From Aam Aadmi To Crorepatis: AAP’s Rajya Sabha Pick Shows Party’s Shift Toward Wealthy Candidates

Last Updated:October 05, 2025, 19:54 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) named industrialist Rajinder Gupta as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Punjab on October 24

Currently, there are nine AAP MPs in Rajya Sabha and five of these have wealth over Rs 1 crore. (PTI File)

When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged over a decade ago, it promised to bring the aam aadmi — the common man — into the heart of politics. But the party’s recent choices suggest a marked shift from that founding principle.

On Sunday, the party named industrialist Rajinder Gupta as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Punjab on October 24. The chairman of Trident Group – the richest man in Punjab — is filling the post vacated by another industrialist, Sanjeev Arora.

In Indian politics, it is nothing unusual if a rich man gets a ticket for elections from political parties but for Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, which promised a break from traditional politics, the move underscores how far the party’s candidate profile has drifted from its original plank.

Currently, there are nine AAP MPs in Rajya Sabha and five of these have wealth over Rs 1 crore, according to data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) based on the affidavits filed by these candidates at the time of election.

Of the six MPs from Punjab, four have wealth over Rs 1 crore – Dr. Vikramjit Singh Sahney (Rs 498 crore); Ashok Kumar Mittal (Rs 91.34 crore); Harbhajan Singh (Rs 81.80 crore); and Sandeep Kumar Pathak (Rs 4 crore). Sahney is among the top 10 richest MPs in Rajya Sabha.

The two other Punjab RS MPs are Raghav Chadha (Rs 37 lakh) and Sant Balbir Singh (Rs 3 lakh).

The AAP also has three MPs from Delhi – Sanjay Singh (Rs 31.22 lakh); Narain Dass Gupta (Rs 11 crore); and Swati Maliwal (Rs 19 lakh).

Rajinder Gupta, as per Forbes, has a wealth of about 120 crores USD (Rs 11,000 crore) as of 2025. He ranked 2,790 among richest entrepreneurs, investors and heirs in the world.

The accurate numbers will also be revealed when he files his affidavit in the coming days. Ludhiana-based Trident is known for its home textiles, paper, and chemicals.

So far, Arora has also been among the top richest MPs in the Rajya Sabha with a wealth of over Rs 460 crore. He resigned from Rajya Sabha in June after getting elected as Punjab MLA.

The richest MP in the Rajya Sabha is from BRS – Hetero Group chairman B Partha Saradhi Reddy with wealth over Rs 5,300 crore.

Even in the MLAs, the shift towards rich candidates is visible. In the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls, AAP had 67 MLAs and 26 of these had wealth below Rs 1 crore. In 2020, out of 62 MLAs, only 17 MLAs had wealth below Rs 1 crore. In 2025, the number of AAP MLAs dropped to 22 and only seven had wealth below Rs 1 crore.

In the 2017 Punjab polls, AAP bagged 20 seats, and eight MLAs had declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, as per ADR records. In 2022, when AAP won 92 seats, the share of crorepatis doubled to 70%, with 63 MLAs.

Speaking to News18, a party leader denied any such planned shift, saying that the party is still looking for common man and continues to give them a chance.

“The industries in Punjab are contributing to job creation. We are not promoting crony capitalism. Our candidate (Rajinder Gupta) received the Padma Shri for his work," the AAP leader said, requesting anonymity.

For a party born out of a movement of common citizens, the AAP’s growing roster of wealthy candidates signals a new political reality — one that looks increasingly like the establishment it once sought to replace.

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