Holding a poster of arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, 52-year-old Kamlesh Jain, a homemaker, stood outside a sweet-shop in East Delhi's Kalyan Puri, along with her friends Abrisha (35) and Rama (70)— all of whom donned the Aam Aadmi Party's signature cap.
Just as Sunita Kejriwal, wife of the Delhi CM, waved from a car in her first political roadshow in Delhi on Saturday, 27 April, Kamlesh told The Quint:
From a sea of yellow and blue flags, "We miss you Kejriwal" posters, to megaphones playing AAP’s campaign song - 'Jail ke Jawab Mein Hum Vote Denge' — These were the scenes that unfolded during the 90-minute roadshow as Sunita campaigned for AAP's East Delhi MP candidate Kuldeep Kumar ahead of the 25 May Lok Sabha elections.
Standing through the sunroof of a vehicle, Sunita said, "Your Chief Minister is a sher (lion), nobody can break him or make him bow down," just as the crowd screamed the slogan "Jail ka jawab vote sai." (Will respond to jail time with votes).
'Will Vote To Remove Dictatorship And Save Democracy': Sunita Kejriwal
As Sunita Kejriwal covered a one-kilometre stretch canvassing for Kumar with folded hands, she stopped at two points to address the public with a less than five-minute-long speech.
Expressing her gratitude to the thronging supporters who eagerly awaited her arrival, she alleged that Kejriwal’s incarceration was a consequence of his commitment to the welfare of Delhi residents.
Sunita Kejriwal at a roadshow
She urged people to cast their vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on 25 May and said, "We will vote to remove dictatorship and save democracy..."
Sunita's roadshow passed through areas that fall under East Delhi's Trilokpuri and Kondli assembly constituencies, both of which have been dominated by AAP since it first contested elections in 2013.
This time, AAP has fielded sitting Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar from East Delhi, who was also part of the roadshow. Kumar will be fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Harsh Malhotra. At present, cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir represents the constituency.
'Bharat Ki Beti... Hamari Beti': Supporters Throng Roadshow
Waving AAP's flag, Rupal Kaur (78) told The Quint: "I am not a party worker, but I am here today to bless Sunita ji. As a woman, it is not easy coming out after your husband is in jail. This shows how they (AAP) put our interests ahead of theirs."
Ever since CM Kejriwal's arrest on 21 March in relation to the Delhi excise policy case, Sunita Kejriwal is seen slowly emerging out of the shadows to assume a bigger role to give a boost to the AAP’s campaign for the Lok Sabha Elections.
Many people in Kondli and other areas of Delhi came out to catch a glimpse and support the CM’s wife on 27 April. Gudi Devi, a resident of North Delhi's Malka Ganj, was among them.
Gudi Devi to The Quint
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that if the Congress comes to power, it would even snatch ‘mangalsutras‘ from women and give it to ‘infiltrators,' Devi said:
Aqil Khan, an AAP worker associated with the party since 2014, described Sunita as an "Educated, humble and sweet" person.
Even though Sunita was the one on the ground, Kejriwal’s name dominated conversations.
Sachin Gehlot (28), a resident of Gandhi Nagar, said that he took part in the roadshow to speak up against the Kejriwal's arrest and to "save democracy."
Sachin Gehlot to The Quint
'No Need For Her To Campaign'
Kuldeep Sharma, who owns a shop in Kalyan Puri, said that he was attending the roadshow for East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar and not Sunita Kejriwal.
"AAP has several big leaders. I am a big supporter of AAP, I love the work they do. Kuldeep Kumar is a local leader. We can go to him with any problem and we know we will get a patient hearing. But there was no need for her to campaign," he told The Quint.
Ram Lal, a long-time resident of Kondli, questioned why AAP was coming to campaign in the area when "no work has been done here over the last few years."
Talking about Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, Vinod (68) said, "What ED did was correct. Jo Karega, wohi barega. (You will pay for your actions) Whoever did something wrong, has to be punished."
Vinod termed AAP's campaign as "vote-bank politics."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)