The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Sunita, Sanjay Singh poised to lead AAP charge in CM absence
HAVING WITNESSED the AAP’S growing influence from the sidelines, with Arvind Kejriwal at the helm in rallies and public meetings for more than a decade, his wife Sunita — along with AAP'S Rajya Sabha MP and one of its most prominent faces, Sanjay Singh — is likely to now be the face of such events ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Both Sunita and Singh, who was released from ti harjai lon bail Wednesday, are likely to lead the charge – from being part of nomination processions of AAP candidates to party gatherings across the country, sources told The Indian Express.
“Sunita ji and Sanjay bhai will not only figure prominently, but lead from the front when it comes to the party' s campaigning, alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Plans for them to visit gujarat to accompany aap candidates during the nomination,as well as a large public event later this month, are being chalked out,” a party insider said.
While she has chosen to mostly remain in the shadows since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came into existence – a rally on the heels of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, which she participated in along with daughter Harshita, being a rare exception besides sharing the stage with her husband after every Delhi Assembly victory – her first national appearance on a political platform was at the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan last Sunday.
As part of its pact with its INDIA ally, the AAP is contesting the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat leaving the rest of the 24 Parliamentary seats in the state to the Congress. The state goes to polls in the third phase on May 7 and the last date of filing nominations is April 19.
“The nationwide fast in solidarity with Arvind ji, which has been planned for Sunday and will also see a big public event at jan tar Man tar in Delhi, is the first big initiative which was already planned and scheduled in the aftermath of the CM'S arrest,” a senior AAP leader said.
“S an jayji' s bail was a welcome development which caught us pleasantly by surprise; the party is discussing and will soon announce a new campaign, which will begin on april 8 and is likely to have both Sunita ji and him in a prominent role ,” the leader added.
Earlier in the day, Singh visited Rajghat, with his wife by his side, and paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi.
Thanking the judiciary, Singh said he, along with the AAP'S cadre, would take Kejriwal's fight forward. “Every single AAP karyakarta is with Arvind Kejriwal ji to save democracy... to uproot dictatorial rule from this country... No one should be under the illusion that they have achieved any kind of success by sending Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and me to jail,” he said.