Sunita Kejriwal (centre)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal”s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, is expected to be featured among the Aam Aadmi Party”s (AAP) star campaigners, according to sources familiar with the situation. She will likely campaign for AAP Lok Sabha candidates in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

Sunita Kejriwal has been actively engaging with AAP leaders and members of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), while also delivering video messages on behalf of her husband since his arrest in connection with the excise policy case on March 21.

Her recent communication efforts, including reading out messages from the chief minister”s residence against the backdrop of portraits of Indian national heroes and the national flag, have positioned her as a key figure within the party”s campaign strategy in Kejriwal’s absence.

During the 2020 assembly elections, Sunita Kejriwal played a pivotal role in conducting door-to-door campaigning for Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi assembly constituency, where he sought a third term as chief minister.

With former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain currently in jail, AAP faces a challenge in fielding influential campaigners for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it contests seats across various states, including four in Delhi, all 13 in Punjab, one in Haryana, two each in Gujarat and Assam.

AAP has consistently maintained that the ongoing Enforcement Directorate”s probe into the excise case is politically motivated. It also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to destabilise the AAP government by both luring and threaten its leaders.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) response on Arvind Kejriwal’s petition by April 24. His plea challenged Delhi High Court order upholding his arrest in a money laundering case linked with the Delhi Excise Policy Case. The top court will hear Kejriwal’s petition on April 29.