Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal is likely to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha polls. Kejriwal is currently in judicial custody in connection with a liquor policy case and is lodged in Tihar jail. In his absence, the AAP is likely to announce its list of star campaigners for Gujarat later in the day.
"She is likely to campaign for AAP candidates in Gujarat," a party leader told news agency PTI. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the AAP is fighting two -- Bharuch and Bhavnagar -- as part of the INDIA bloc, while its ally Congress is contesting the remaining 24 seats. The AAP has fielded Chaitar Vasava from Bharuch and Umesh Makwana from Bhavnagar.
In Bharuch, AAP's Chaitar Vasava is taking on BJP's veteran leader Mansukh Vasava. The BJP leader has held this seat since 1998. In the last election, Mansukh Vasava garnered over 55 per cent votes, defeating Congress' Sherkhan Abdulsakur Pathan by over 3 lakh votes.
The Bhavnagar seat, too, has been with the BJP since 1991. This time, the BJP has fielded Nimuben Bambhaniya, who is up against Umesh Makwana of AAP. The Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7.