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Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, will spearhead the party's Lok Sabha campaign in the national capital and other states. The party's campaign will commence with her inaugural roadshow on Saturday, advocating for AAP's East Delhi candidate, Kuldeep Kumar.
During a press conference on Friday, AAP leader Atishi announced that Sunita Kejriwal will rally for support and votes for the party while her husband remains in judicial custody.
“In protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, his wife Sunita Kejriwal will campaign to seek blessings for him and to seek votes for AAP candidates. She will seek blessings for him from the people of Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana," she said.
“She will hold a roadshow in East Delhi tomorrow and will seek blessings from the people of East Delhi for Arvind Kejriwal. On April 28, she will hold a roadshow in the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency,” Atishi added.
Sunita, a retired IRS officer, is assuming a more prominent role within the party to fortify AAP's campaign efforts, which have been impacted by Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering charges.
Kejriwal has been confined in Tihar Jail since April 1. He was arrested on March 21 in connection with a case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is slated to remain in judicial custody till May 7.
Atishi contended that Kejriwal's arrest was a ploy to hinder his participation in the Lok Sabha polls.
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“I want to tell the BJP that their gamble has backfired completely. Whether it is Delhi, Punjab or the rest of the country, the common people are protesting against the arrest of Kejriwal, protesting against the dictatorship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, protesting against this attack on democracy. The people are unanimously saying that they will respond to Arvind Kejriwal's arrest with their votes,” Atishi said.
Sunita Kejriwal's role expansion
Following Kejriwal's arrest, Sunita has taken on the role of facilitating communication between her spouse and the AAP, along with its MLAs.
She has conducted three virtual media briefings, primarily focused on relaying the chief minister's messages to the public and the cabinet members of Delhi.
In both March and earlier this month, she delivered addresses at gatherings organised by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties in Delhi and Jharkhand.
AAP in Lok Sabha elections
In Delhi, the AAP, in alliance with the Congress, has fielded candidates for the East Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, and New Delhi constituencies.
In Gujarat, the party is contesting in two constituencies: Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Haryana, AAP is vying for the Kurukshetra seat. Meanwhile, in Punjab, it is independently contesting all 13 seats without any alliance with the Congress.
