Former IRS officer and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s spouse Sunita Kejriwal plunged into the warmth and mud of campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with a street present, her first-ever within the Capital, within the East Delhi constituency.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 on expenses of cash laundering linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise coverage and, ever since his arrest, it’s his spouse who has stepped out of his shadow and adopted a extra public position. She has been addressing the general public by way of video statements carrying the chief minister’s messages and has additionally attended two rallies of the INDIA bloc — January 31 in Delhi and April 21 in Ranchi. She has been spearheading the AAP’s fightback — defending her husband, difficult the BJP and even taking the “Kejriwal ki ensures” to the folks. Sunita Kejriwal has already campaigned in Gujarat with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Amidst a strong presence of individuals, a sea of AAP’s trademark yellow-blue flags and the Left’s purple sickle and hammer flags, ‘Mein Bhi Kejriwal’, ‘Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se’ and ‘Jai Bheem’ cutouts, Sunita Kejriwal — clad in a inexperienced salwar kameez — led the street present with AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar by her aspect, largely greeting folks silently with folded arms and talking briefly.
The final time so many individuals have been seen in an AAP protest or rally on the roads was when the then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested on February 26, 2023. Sisodia’s meeting constituency of Patpartganj falls within the East Delhi constituency. Sunita Kejriwal is filling the void created by the absence of her husband and steeling herself for a much bigger position ought to the necessity come up. Congress flags and posters have been conspicuous by their absence, indicating that it was an AAP present all through.
Addressing supporters, Sunita Kejriwal stated: “They’ve forcibly put your chief minister and my husband in jail. Until date, no court docket has pronounced him responsible.” Mentioning Arvind Kejriwal’s wrestle with diabetes, she requested if “they wish to end him”.
Calling his incarceration an act of ‘goondagardi’, she appealed to the folks to come back out and vote to “save democracy and defeat ‘tanashahi’”. The previous IRS officer alleged that authorities have turned in opposition to her husband as a result of he made electrical energy and water free, and constructed Mohalla Clinics and colleges. She added that the blessings of the widespread folks have ensured that Arvind Kejriwal “neither bends nor breaks”.
“I beseech you to avoid wasting this nation from tanashahi… you’ll have to present the facility of your vote… it’s important to vote to avoid wasting democracy, defeat tanashahi. Jail ka jawab vote se denge,” she stated, ending her first speech within the street present.
Requested whether or not Sunita Kejriwal’s street present marks a management change inside the AAP, given the chief minister’s absence at a vital juncture, AAP minister Atishi stated: “Sunita Kejriwal is right here immediately to take the blessings of the folks of Delhi for Arvind Kejriwal. You may see the large numbers right here. The folks of Delhi don’t regard Arvind Kejriwal simply as a chief minister; they regard him as their son, brother, and a member of the family and that’s the reason why hundreds and hundreds of persons are right here immediately.”
Pressed additional about this marking a shift in AAP’s management, Atishi stated Sunita Kejriwal was on the rally to take blessings for her husband. On the Delhi court docket’s rap for AAP, the minister claimed MCD had come to a standstill due to the actions of the Lieutenant Governor and the unlawful nomination of Alderman within the MCD Home. “If Alderman had been nominated legally, there would have been no points in MCD. If the Lieutenant Governor desires MCD to operate, he ought to discard the sooner nomination and nominate folks in a authorized method,” she stated.
The AAP has fielded its Kondli MLA, Kuldeep Kumar Monu, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste neighborhood, from the unreserved constituency of East Delhi. The occasion’s technique is two-fold — Kumar could possibly swing the Dalits, roughly over 15 per cent, within the constituency to vote for AAP. Additionally, by fielding a Dalit from an unreserved constituency, it sends a sign that the occasion values the pursuits of Dalits. That is vital within the backdrop of AAP’s Dalit minister Rajendra Pal Gautam being requested to resign in 2022 following his participation in a Buddhist conversion ceremony, and now after the resignation of its second Dalit minister Raaj Kumar Anand from all posts, together with the occasion.
Kuldeep’s father Prakash Kumar works as a safai karamchari within the municipal company since 1988. Kumar has been related to AAP as a volunteer, he fought and gained company elections after which was elected as an MLA from the Kondli Vidhan Sabha. Kumar is perceived to be near Sisodia, who’s now in Tihar after being arrested beneath varied sections of the cash laundering Act.
“We voted for Kejriwal prior to now and can proceed to vote for Kejriwal. Now we have to vote for Kejriwal wherever he could also be… his occasion nonetheless exists,” stated Pappu, a rickshaw-puller. Requested in regards to the corruption expenses that the chief minister is preventing, he stated: “That’s between him and the federal government.”
Ravi Kumar, a cab driver, stated he feels BJP will win this constituency. “BJP is doing good work, taking the nation to nice heights, and constructing a basis for a superb future. Every thing is sweet,” he stated, including that he had extra religion within the BJP versus the opposite events.
Sonia, a middle-aged housewife, stated though she is aware of that the BJP will win this time too, her vote is for Kejriwal. “BJP will certainly win, however I’ll vote for neta-ji, jhadoowala…” Requested about Kejriwal being in jail, she stated: “He’ll come out and shortly be free from all expenses.”
A younger man Rohit, who works within the Railways, stated the BJP will win from the constituency as “Kejriwal has not carried out any work”. “On this entire jhuggi, water pipelines haven’t been laid though they’ve been laid within the neighbouring areas. I had gone to Kejriwal’s workplace. They stated that the cash was over and the work might be carried out as quickly as there’s cash. When it got here to us, their cash completed. That they had cash when it got here to others however not us.” Rohit stated Kejriwal had made guarantees throughout elections like giving pucca homes, laying sewer and water pipelines however nothing had been carried out to date, alleging that this was because of the AAP figuring out that individuals right here vote for the BJP.
Nyas Mohammad, who works as a gasoline restore mechanic, stated “Kejriwal will win this time”. “Kejriwal will get seats. They’ve trapped an harmless particular person. They’ve additionally put Manish Sisodia in jail. As quickly as a neta reveals promise, they put him behind bars. If BJP comes, these jhuggi jhopris might be cleared out. They take away the poor, not poverty.”
Laxam Awasti, a businessman who offers in coal, stated it will be tough for BJP to win from the constituency this yr. “BJP has misplaced its sheen, woh baat nahi hai BJP mein jo thi.” Requested if he’ll he vote for AAP regardless of Kejriwal and Sisodia being in jail, Awasti says: “Undoubtedly. He has given us a variety of advantages. Electrical energy, water and so forth. He understands the ache of the poor man.” Nevertheless, Vimli, a middle-aged housewife, stated whoever does work for the jhuggi will get her assist.
The BJP wrested this seat from the Congress in 2014 and retained it in 2019. Sandeep Dixit had gained this constituency in 2009 — earlier than the formation of AAP. In 2014, BJP’s Mahesh Giri defeated his nearest rival AAP’s Rajmohan Gandhi by a margin of greater than 1,90,000 votes, whereas Congress was consigned to the third place. In 2019, BJP fielded Gautam Gambhir, who defeated Congress’ Arvinder Singh Beautiful by a margin of greater than 3,80,000 votes whereas AAP’s Atishi was third within the contest. In 2019, the BJP acquired 55.3 per cent of the whole vote share.
In these upcoming elections, BJP has changed six sitting MPs, together with Gautam Gambhir. Former East Delhi Mayor Harsh Malhotra has been fielded from the seat. For the primary time in 10 years, the competition right here — as in the remainder of Delhi — might be bi-polar, with the AAP and Congress preventing on 4 and three seats respectively.
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