The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab Friday named Cabinet Minister Aman Arora as the state unit president replacing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and appointed Batala MLA Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi as the working president. The appointment of Arora and Kalsi came a day after the by-elections to the four Punjab Assembly seats were held Thursday.

Arora’s appointment is widely seen in political circles as effort by the AAP to attract Hindu voters, particularly in urban areas, while also countering the growing influence of the BJP in the state

Almost a month after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called for the appointment of a new state president for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the party has chosen Cabinet Minister Aman Arora as its state unit chief.

A prominent Hindu face of the AAP in Punjab, Arora’s appointment will not only help the party attract Hindu voters but also counter the BJP, which is making an aggressive push to expand its support base in the state after parting ways with the Shiromani Akali Dal.