Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Days after announcing her as the star campaigner in Gujarat, AAP on Friday announced that jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal will campaign in three more states, including the national capital and Punjab, and her electioneering will start with a roadshow in East Delhi seat.
While she will be holding the roadshow in East Delhi's Kondli on Saturday for party candidate Kuldeep Kumar, Sunita will also hold a similar exercise for West Delhi candidate Mahabal Mishra on Sunday.
Announcing the plans, Delhi Minister Atishi said, "To seek blessing for Kejriwal and votes for AAP candidates, she will campaign for the party in Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana." AAP had earlier announced that she will be a star campaigner for the party in Gujarat where it is fighting two seats.
Sunita will be campaigning only in seats where AAP is in alliance with Congress as an I.N.D.I.A. partner.
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 B R 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 also travelled to Ranchi to join the I.N.D.I.A. rally on April 21 to protest for 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.