AAP Nominates DCW Chief Swati Maliwal For Rajya Sabha; Renominates Jailed Sanjay Singh For Upper House

Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), has been nominated by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. This nomination marks Maliwal's debut into parliamentary affairs.

The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of AAP has also decided to nominate Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta for a second term as members of the upper house. Their current term is set to expire on 27 January 2024.

Sushil Kumar Gupta, whose tenure will end this month as a member of the Rajya Sabha, will make way for Swati Maliwal.

Gupta has reportedly expressed his desire to devote himself entirely to Haryana's electoral politics, where the AAP is planning to contest elections later this year, PTI reported citing a person familiar with the matter.

Earlier, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi gave permission to Sanjay Singh, who is under arrest in a money laundering case associated with the Delhi excise scam, to sign forms and documents for his Rajya Sabha renomination.

Special Judge M K Nagpal passed the order on an application filed by the senior AAP leader, seeking a direction to the Tihar Jail Superintendent to allow him to sign the documents.

"It is being directed that if the documents are presented by counsel for accused before jail authorities on January 6, 2024, the jail superintendent shall ensure that the signatures of the accused are permitted to be taken on said documents and he is also permitted to meet his Counsel for half-an-hour to discuss the modalities in connection with filing of the said nomination," the judge said in an order passed on Thursday.

At present, the AAP has 10 members in the upper house of the Parliament, including Raghav Chadha and ex-cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Following the party's overwhelming win in Punjab, the AAP's presence in the Rajya Sabha has notably expanded.

The process for nominating candidates for three Rajya Sabha seats in Delhi started on 3 January, with the elections scheduled for 19 January. Given that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holds 62 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly, it is expected that the three AAP candidates will be elected without opposition.