AAP to nominate DCW chief Swati Maliwal as its newest Rajya Sabha MP

The party said MP Sushil Gupta expressed his intent to redirect his focus towards the electoral politics of Haryana. Sushil is the AAP in-charge in Haryana, which is expected to go to polls later this year.  “…we respect his decision to pursue this path,” a senior AAP leader said.

A Delhi court on Thursday, meanwhile, allowed Singh to sign his renomination documents from jail. Singh, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case related to the Delhi excise policy, is AAP’s UP in-charge.

AAP has alleged that Singh has been arrested in a ‘fake’ case to silence him as he was the BJP government’s most vocal critic in the Upper House; he was also the party’s point person for its inter-organisational interface with other Opposition parties and leaders in Parliament.

According to sources, while the party leadership toyed with the idea of nominating two new faces, the apprehension that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal may be arrested by ED got them rethinking. The procedure related to the nomination of the three Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi was cited as a reason by Kejriwal for skipping Wednesday’s ED summons.

“We do not want to ruffle many feathers at this time. If we did not renominate Sanjay Singh, it would send the wrong message that the party has abandoned him. We want to exhibit support for party leaders who are being targeted by the BJP through investigation agencies,” an AAP leader said.

According to the Election Commission of India (EC), January 9 is the last date for making nominations to the Upper House. January 10 is the date for the scrutiny of the nominations and 12th is the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures.

January 19 is the date on which a poll shall, if necessary, be taken and 23rd January is the date before which the election is to be completed, according to the EC schedule.

Maliwal began a career in activism at a young age and has been an active advocate for women’s rights and social issues. She has also been associated with various campaigns and movements aimed at combating violence against women, advocating for stricter laws, and promoting gender equality.

In 2015, she was appointed as the chairperson of the DCW, where she has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives to address issues such as acid attacks, sexual harassment, and women’s safety in Delhi.