File photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita Kejriwal.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: After projecting Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita as the sole messenger of the Delhi Chief Minister who was arrested a month ago, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday officially signalled a bigger role for her in the party by making a star campaigner in Gujarat.
Sunita’s name was listed second after her husband, who heads the party, in the communication sent to the Election Commission. Her name was listed above Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other senior leaders, including jailed former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Besides Sisodia, the AAP also named Satyendar Jain, who is also in judicial custody, in the list which also features Raghav Chadha, who faced flak for his absence when the party is encountering a crisis. Chadha is presently in London after an eye surgery.
Senior AAP leaders Sandeep Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai, Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot and Imran Hussain as well as 24 Gujarat leaders also find space in the list.
The party expects that voters will relate with Sunita Kejriwal and she can deliver this message very effectively.
Sunita’s profile in the party has been rising since Kejriwal’s arrest and the Gujarat list could be a precursor for her inclusion in a similar list for Delhi. While Atishi remained the administration’s face, Sunita remained in the background but slowly emerged as the political face of the party.
The former IRS officer regularly delivered video addresses in a setting with huge political overtures – with photos of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh and a tricolour making the background – sharing messages of Kejriwal with party workers and the public.
Several leaders also visited her while she started attending a few of the party’s internal meetings. Party’s MLAs and councillors also met her recently.
Amid speculation that Sunita may succeed Kejriwal in case of an eventuality, she also met I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders who visited her to express solidarity with Kejriwal.
At the Ramlila Maidan joint Opposition rally, she shared the stage with top leaders and was seated next to Sonia Gandhi besides reading out Kejriwal’s guarantees.
She is also expected to travel to Ranchi to join the I.N.D.I.A rally on April 21 to protest former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s arrest.
Married to Kejriwal 29 years ago, Sunita has been supportive of Kejriwal as he took a plunge into activism quitting the IRS. She campaigned for the AAP after her resignation from service in 2015