Arvind Kejriwal.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal can vote in Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on May 25 and campaign in Punjab and elsewhere till the last day of electioneering there on May 30, a possibility that remained distant till the other day but the Supreme Court order to grant him interim bail has brought cheers not just in AAP camp but the entire Opposition bloc.
With Kejriwal’s presence in the ring, the campaign rules will have to be rewritten, as he is expected to bring in a new vigour into AAP’s campaign, forcing the main rival BJP to recalibrate their moves to ensure that it retains all the seven seats in Delhi and restrict an AAP surge in Punjab.
Senior Opposition leaders acknowledged how important is the interim bail, with Congress’ Pawan Khera referring to Narendra Modi becoming “former Prime Minister” on June 4 and a “happy” Mamata Banerjee saying the decision would be “very helpful in the context of the current elections”.
The SC order, which will release Kejriwal from Tihar Jail and grant him freedom till June 1, comes exactly 50 days after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which vehemently argued that campaigning in an election is not a fundamental right and even filing an affidavit just hours before the verdict.
The bail in the contentious Delhi excise policy case comes at the right time for the Delhi Chief Minister, with 13 days left for campaigning in the capital that goes to polls on May 25. He would get another week to campaign in Punjab where the polls are scheduled for June 1.
For AAP and Kejriwal, the Supreme Court’s refusal to agree to ED’s objections is a shot in the arm, as it could help them project his arrest as victimisation of a prominent Opposition leader.
Not just a star campaigner for his party alone, Kejriwal has got the entire I.N.D.I.A. bloc behind him and soon would be seen canvassing votes, especially in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana where AAP has fielded candidates.
However, he will have to navigate a tricky campaign in these three states as the party is facing the Congress in Punjab while being in an alliance in Delhi and Haryana. One will be keenly watching how he designs his campaigns in these states without upsetting the equation and not compromising his party’s chances in Punjab.
In Delhi, Congress candidates are also waiting for him hitting the campaign trail as they invoke the popular leader to win their seats. Though a section of Congress still remains antagonistic towards the AAP, candidates believe Kejriwal’s presence would tilt the equation in seats to their favour.
Kejriwal is sure to milk his jail stint during the campaign by targeting the Narendra Modi-led for “victimising” him for the “good work” he has done. The BJP is expected to use a letter by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommending a probe into allegations of AAP taking donations from Khalistanis.