Among heavy hitters, hope in rural areas, star campaigner

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot (File photo)

A minister, a key campaigner in Uttar Pradesh and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s grandson are among the heavyweight AAP MLAs who might have to exit the House. Najafgarh legislator Kailash Gahlot, also the law and transport minister, was appointed the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Law in 2015. Since then, he has emerged as a key minister and also a valuable member of AAP’s plans to expand in the rural areas of Delhi.

During his elevation, Kejriwal had said, “Gahlot will be the voice of the villages in the cabinet.” Adarsh Shastri, grandson of Lal Bahadur Shah Shastri, left his job as the India sales head of Apple to join AAP in 2013. In 2015, he won the polls and became the Dwarka legislator. He is also the co-convener of AAP’s overseas wing.

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The 45-year-old was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Information and Technology, and has since been a key advisor to the AAP. Earlier a student leader with the Congress, Alka Lamba joined the AAP in December 2013 and eventually won the polls from Chandni Chowk in 2015. Since then, she has emerged as a key campaigner in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

“She campaigned actively for the party in the recently concluded municipal polls in UP. She is also one of our most experienced politicians because of her background in student politics,” said an AAP leader. Other prominent leaders facing disqualification are Laxmi Nagar MLA Nitin Tyagi, considered to be a close aide of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and AAP’s prominent Purvanchali leader Sanjeev Jha.