Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the two residences of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) woman legislator Amandeep Kaur Arora in Punjab’s Moga.
According to initial reports, ED officials reached the legislator’s premises early in the morning and launched a search operation.
The development has drawn attention in Punjab’s political circles, particularly with the Assembly elections approaching. However, the exact nature of the investigation, the case prompting the searches and the specific allegations, if any, against the MLA were not immediately clear.
There was no immediate official statement from the Enforcement Directorate detailing the purpose of the operation or confirming whether any documents, cash or other material had been seized.
The searches are likely to trigger a political response from the ruling AAP and opposition parties in Punjab.
Further details are awaited as the operation progresses.
Arora is the AAP MLA from Moga and also heads the party’s women’s wing in Punjab.
She has recently received the party’s nomination again from the constituency for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. On October 31, the Aam Aadmi Party released its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections.
However, no official information has established any connection between her electoral nomination and the agency’s searches.
Party leaders alleged that the raid was aimed at pressuring her to join the BJP or the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), citing the case of Jalalabad MLA Raminder Singh Awla.
Meanwhile, party workers arrived at the spot after learning about the raid and began protesting. They raised slogans against the ED’s action.
A large number of police personnel were stationed outside the house to maintain order.
The workers alleged that the raid was being carried out at the BJP’s direction. They claimed the BJP had little political presence in Punjab. “Both the Akali Dal and the BJP do not have a potential candidate to field from Moga, either jointly or separately,” said a close aide of the lawmaker.
(IANS)
