Former IRS officer and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal plunged into the heat and dust of campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with a road show, her first-ever in the Capital, in the East Delhi constituency.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 on charges of money laundering linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy and, ever since his arrest, it is his wife who has stepped out of his shadow and adopted a more public role. She has been addressing the public via video statements carrying the chief minister’s messages and has also 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, challenging the BJP and even taking the “Kejriwal ki guarantees” to the people. Sunita Kejriwal has already campaigned in Gujarat with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Amidst a robust presence of people, a sea of AAP’s trademark yellow-blue flags and the Left’s red sickle and hammer flags, ‘Mein Bhi Kejriwal’, ‘Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se’ and ‘Jai Bheem’ cutouts, Sunita Kejriwal — clad in a green salwar kameez — led the road show with AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar by her side, mostly greeting people silently with folded hands and speaking briefly.
The last time so many people were visible 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 assembly constituency of Patpartganj falls in the East Delhi constituency. Sunita Kejriwal is filling the void created by the absence of her husband and steeling herself for a bigger role should the need arise. Congress flags and posters were conspicuous by their absence, indicating that it was an AAP show throughout.
Addressing supporters, Sunita Kejriwal said: “They have forcibly put your chief minister and my husband in jail. Till date, no court has pronounced him guilty.” Mentioning Arvind Kejriwal’s struggle with diabetes, she asked if “they want to finish him”.
Calling his incarceration an act of ‘goondagardi’, she appealed to the people to come out and vote to “save democracy and defeat ‘tanashahi’”. The former IRS officer alleged that authorities have turned against her husband because he made electricity and water free, and built Mohalla Clinics and schools. She added that the blessings of the common people have ensured that Arvind Kejriwal “neither bends nor breaks”.
“I beseech you to save this country from tanashahi… you will have to show the power of your vote… you have to vote to save democracy, defeat tanashahi. Jail ka jawab vote se denge,” she said, ending her first speech in the road show.
Asked whether Sunita Kejriwal’s road show marks a leadership change within the AAP, given the chief minister’s absence at a crucial juncture, AAP minister Atishi said: “Sunita Kejriwal is here today to take the blessings of the people of Delhi for Arvind Kejriwal. You can see the huge numbers here. The people of Delhi do not regard Arvind Kejriwal just as a chief minister; they regard him as their son, brother, and a family member and that is the reason why thousands and thousands of people are here today.”
Pressed further about this marking a shift in AAP’s leadership, Atishi said Sunita Kejriwal was at the rally to take blessings for her husband. On the Delhi court’s rap for AAP, the minister claimed MCD had come to a standstill because of the actions of the Lieutenant Governor and the illegal nomination of Alderman in the MCD House. “If Alderman had been nominated legally, there would have been no issues in MCD. If the Lieutenant Governor wants MCD to function, he should discard the earlier nomination and nominate people in a legal manner,” she said.
The AAP has fielded its Kondli MLA, Kuldeep Kumar Monu, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, from the unreserved constituency of East Delhi. The party’s strategy is two-fold — Kumar may be able to swing the Dalits, approximately over 15 per cent, in the constituency to vote for AAP. Also, by fielding a Dalit from an unreserved constituency, it sends a signal that the party values the interests of Dalits. This is important in the backdrop of AAP’s Dalit minister Rajendra Pal Gautam being asked 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, including the party.
Kuldeep’s father Prakash Kumar works as a safai karamchari in the municipal corporation since 1988. Kumar has been associated with AAP as a volunteer, he fought and won corporation elections and then was elected as an MLA from the Kondli Vidhan Sabha. Kumar is perceived to be close to Sisodia, who is now in Tihar after being arrested under various sections of the money laundering Act.
“We voted for Kejriwal in the past and will continue to vote for Kejriwal. We have to vote for Kejriwal wherever he may be… his party still exists,” said Pappu, a rickshaw-puller. Asked about the corruption charges that the chief minister is fighting, he said: “That is between him and the government.”
Ravi Kumar, a cab driver, said he feels BJP will win this constituency. “BJP is doing good work, taking the country to great heights, and building a foundation for a good future. Everything is good,” he said, adding that he had more faith in the BJP as opposed to the other parties.
Sonia, a middle-aged housewife, said even though she knows that the BJP will win this time too, her vote is for Kejriwal. “BJP will definitely win, but I will vote for neta-ji, jhadoowala…” Asked about Kejriwal being in jail, she said: “He will come out and soon be free from all charges.”
A young man Rohit, who works in the Railways, said the BJP will win from the constituency as “Kejriwal has not done any work”. “In this whole jhuggi, water pipelines have not been laid even though they have been laid in the neighbouring areas. I had gone to Kejriwal’s office. They said that the money was over and the work will be done as soon as there is money. When it came to us, their money finished. They had money when it came to others but not us.” Rohit said Kejriwal had made promises during elections like giving pucca houses, laying sewer and water pipelines but nothing had been done so far, alleging that this was due to the AAP knowing that people here vote for the BJP.
Nyas Mohammad, who works as a gas repair mechanic, said “Kejriwal will win this time”. “Kejriwal will get seats. They have trapped an innocent person. They have also put Manish Sisodia in jail. As soon as a neta shows promise, they put him behind bars. If BJP comes, these jhuggi jhopris will be cleared out. They remove the poor, not poverty.”
Laxam Awasti, a businessman who deals in coal, said it would be difficult for BJP to win from the constituency this year. “BJP has lost its sheen, woh baat nahi hai BJP mein jo thi.” Asked if he will he vote for AAP despite Kejriwal and Sisodia being in jail, Awasti says: “Definitely. He has given us a lot of benefits. Electricity, water etc. He understands the pain of the poor man.” However, Vimli, a middle-aged housewife, said whoever does work for the jhuggi will get her support.
The BJP wrested this seat from the Congress in 2014 and retained it in 2019. Sandeep Dixit had won this constituency in 2009 — before the formation of AAP. In 2014, BJP’s Mahesh Giri defeated his nearest rival AAP’s Rajmohan Gandhi by a margin of more than 1,90,000 votes, while Congress was consigned to the third position. In 2019, BJP fielded Gautam Gambhir, who defeated Congress’ Arvinder Singh Lovely by a margin of more than 3,80,000 votes while AAP’s Atishi was third in the contest. In 2019, the BJP got 55.3 per cent of the total vote share.
In these upcoming elections, BJP has replaced six sitting MPs, including Gautam Gambhir. Former East Delhi Mayor Harsh Malhotra has been fielded from the seat. For the first time in 10 years, the contest here — as in the rest of Delhi — will be bi-polar, with the AAP and Congress fighting on four and three seats respectively.
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