The release, scheduled for later on Friday, assumes significance as it comes in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections. While the three phases of voting are over, four more phases are scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
Follow all updates on Arvind Kejriwal's interim bail here
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power in Delhi and Punjab – two states where elections are taking place in the remaining phases. Seven Delhi seats and 10 Haryana seats will vote in the fifth phase on May 25. Punjab's 13 seats will vote in the sixth phase on June 1.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kejriwal on March 21 for the alleged alcohol excise policy scam in Delhi.
'Morale booster for AAP'
After his release, Arvind Kejriwal will be given ample time to campaign for seats in Delhi and Punjab. In Delhi, the AAP is contesting the elections in collaboration with the Congress Party. The AAP got four of the seats in Delhi, while the Congress has fielded candidates for the remaining three seats as per the seat-sharing agreement. In Punjab, the party is competing for thirteen seats on its own.
It is clear that the AAP cadres will be re-energized with the release of Kejriwal from Tihar Jail. The workers will leave no stone unturned during the campaign. Arvind Kejriwal is not only the poster child of AAP, but he is also among the opposition leaders who enjoy national prominence.
Also read: Supreme Court rejects plea of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in money laundering case, calling it 'infructuous'
“This is the victory of truth… I thank the SC for coming forward to save the Constitution and democracy. Arvind Kejriwal will come out of Tihar Jail tonight and I am sure he will help the people of Delhi and the country.” Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi Marlena told news agency ANI.
The INDIA bloc welcomes Kejriwal's release
The release has been welcomed by many leaders within the INDIA bloc parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress.
“We welcome the intervention of the Supreme Court in granting interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said. “We hope that ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also gets justice,” Khera said.
Kejriwal is one of the two opposition chief ministers who have been jailed during the election season. Soren resigned before he was arrested, but Kejriwal did not. Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also welcomed the decision.
Kejriwal is expected to start his political campaign soon after his release from jail. As the AAP's top campaigner, the Delhi chief minister will now directly lead the campaign in Delhi and Punjab, where his party is in power.
Voting pattern in Delhi
Looking at the last two Lok Sabha elections, Delhi has shown a divided voting pattern. This means that while voters have backed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019), the same electorate has repeatedly opted for the AAP in parliamentary elections since 2015.
Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: Their silence is ominous, says Chidambaram on request to probe PM Modi's 'Ambani-Adani' jibe
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all seven seats of Delhi. In Punjab, the Congress had won eight seats, the Akali Dal two seats, the BJP two seats and the AAP just one seat in the 2019 general elections.
“Delhi and Punjab are the key to the INDIA bloc. These two states sent twenty members to the Lok Sabha. The timing of Kejriwal's release is crucial as both states go to the polls while he is still out on bail. It will of course have consequences for the elections,” said a party leader who did not want to be named.
Impact player, Arvind Kejriwal
Analysts say that considering Arvind Kejriwal's campaigning style, he could make the Lok Sabha elections difficult for the BJP, at least in Delhi. “It remains to be seen what idioms Kejriwal uses during his campaigns, but as a leader he has the ability to make the fight in Delhi very tough for the BJP,” said Rahul Verma, political analyst and fellow at the Center for Policy Research. Resuscitation).
One of Kejriwal's bail conditions is that he is not allowed to speak on the Delhi liquor policy case or discuss the allegations against him while he is away.
Also read: AAP names jailed leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia as star campaigners for Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat
In its political campaign so far, the AAP has raised Arvind Kejriwal's arrest as an issue and, according to observers, gained some sympathy as a result. And with his release on interim bail days before the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi and Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal might as well be the 'impact player' in the 21 or so days of campaigning he has left to run before he stands again on June 2 has to throw up.
In cricket parlance, impact player allows one substitute player per team to play an active role in matches with a bat or ball during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
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Published: May 10, 2024 6:17 PM IST