The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not in a haste to find a replacement for Sandeep Kumar, who was sacked as the Women and Child Development Minister yesterday, as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia will be away alternately for the next few days.
However, there is a unanimity within the party and the government to have a dalit face as a replacement for Kumar.
More importantly, the move will also be tactical, party sources said, as it is looking to woo dalit voters ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls to be held next year.
Although the party has 12 dalit MLAs, about eight-nine MLAs could be in the race to replace Kumar.
Seelmapur legislator Rajendra Pal Gautam is seen as a strong contendor, party sources said.
Gautam, considered close to Kejriwal, also heads the legal cell of the party, apart from being one of the seven vice-presidents in the Delhi unit.
However, one thing which could go against him is that Gautam is a Jatav dalit while Kumar is a valmiki.
Apart from Gautam, others who are in the race are Vishesh Ravi, Prakash Jarwal, Ajay Dutt, Ved Prakash, Raju Dhingan, Girish Soni, Hazari Lal Chauhan and Fateh Singh.
"The Chief Minister, along with Home Minister Satyendar Jain will leave for the Vatican City tomorrow to attend the cannonisation of Mother Teressa to be held on September 4. He will return on September 5. In his absence no new face will be announced," said an AAP functionary.
Sources in the party said that after Kejriwal return, Sisodia and Jain are expected to go to Goa for campaigning, which may further delay in announcing Kumar's replacement.
In a sudden move, Kumar was sacked from the council of ministers yesterday by Kejriwal after he received a nine-minute-long CD in which Kumar was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.
In a video message, Kejriwal today said said Kumar had "betrayed" the core values on which AAP will never compromise and hit out at rival parties for their "indifference" in taking action in cases of wrongdoings and corruption.
Kejriwal also asserted that he will prefer to die than stray from AAP's principles, adding the same rule will apply to himself and all other senior leaders.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
