The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday nominated Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal who has been working closely with party chief Arvind Kejriwal since his days as an activist as its candidate for the January 19 Rajya Sabha elections and renominated jailed AAP leader Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta for a second term in the Upper House of Parliament. Maliwal will replace Sushil Kumar Gupta, as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in Delhi scheduled to be held on January 19.
"Chaired by AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, the committee has decided to endorse two existing members for re-nomination, whereas Sushil Kumar Gupta has expressed his intent to redirect his focus towards the electoral politics of Haryana," AAP said. According to AAP, Sanjay Singh and N D Gupta's names have been proposed in the AAP's PAC meeting for their second term as Rajya Sabha MP for their second term. "Sushil Kumar Gupta has conveyed his aspiration to actively engage in the vibrant electoral landscape of Haryana, and we respect his decision to pursue this path," stated a senior AAP leader. The third name that the AAP has proposed is Maliwal. She later resigned from the post of DCW chief after her nomination.
The nominations for three RS seats of Delhi began on January 3 and the poll will be held on January 19. Since AAP has 62 out of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly, the three AAP nominees are set to be elected unopposed.
Taking a dig at the Kejriwal government, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has said that by re-nominating Sanjay Singh to Rajya Sabha, Kejriwal has shown that he is an equal partner in Sanjay Singh's corruption. On the other hand, by deciding to send Maliwal to Rajya Sabha, Kejriwal has tried to calm the ongoing power struggle between two women leaders of his party. Kapoor has said that ever since Ms. Atishi's stature was increasing in the cabinet, Ms. Swati Maliwal had been making Ms. Atishi uncomfortable by raising issues like lack of street lights for women safety on the streets.
Maliwal was appointed as the Chairperson of the DCW in 2015, where she has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives to address issues such as acid attacks, sexual harassment, and women's safety in Delhi. She was also a core member and among the youngest to join the Indian Against Corruption movement, which was led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kerjwal. She was married to AAP leader Naveen Jaihind, however, they have been divorced since February 2020.
Born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Maliwal attended Amity International School before earning a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the JSS Academy of Technical Education. Maliwal briefly served as a campaigner for Greenpeace India in 2013, focusing on ensuring safe food for women and children.
Meanwhile a special court has also allowed Singh, who was arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, to sign forms and documents for his Rajya Sabha renomination. A Special Judge M K Nagpal passed the order on an application filed by the politician, who submitted that his present term as a member of the Rajya Sabha is expiring on January 27 and the Returning Officer has issued a notice on January 2 for conduct of the election and nominations for the same are to be submitted by January 9.
