Swati Maliwal resigns as DCW chief after AAP nominates her for Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: Swati Maliwal resigned from the post of chief of the Delhi Commission for Women on Friday after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominated her as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

The decision to nominate Swati Maliwal, known for her advocacy for women's rights, will mark her debut in parliamentary affairs.

Taking to X, she shared a video and captioned it with a line from the famous song from the Bollywood movie 'Kabhi Kabhie'. "Pal do pal meri kahani hai (My story will last only for a moment or two)... Today with moist eyes, I said goodbye to the Delhi Women's Commission. I didn't realize how 8 years had passed here with the panel. I saw many ups and downs while living here. I dedicated every day to the welfare of Delhi and the country. The fight is not over, it is just beginning," she said.

The Political Affairs Committee of the AAP on Friday finalized its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to take place in Delhi on January 19. The committee nominated Maliwal as its candidate for the first time and renominated ND Gupta and jailed leader Sanjay Singh for a second term in the Upper House of Parliament.

Chaired by AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, the committee decided to endorse two existing members for re-nomination, whereas Sushil Kumar Gupta expressed his intent to redirect his focus towards the electoral politics of Haryana. ND Gupta is the party treasurer and Sushil Gupta is the AAP President of the Haryana unit. The state is expected to go to polls later this year.

"DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal has been nominated for the first time. The PAC has decided to continue with Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta for their respective second term as Rajya Sabha members," the party said. With the six-year term of three Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi ending this month, voting to elect the new members will take place on January 19.

The three members - Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Narain Dass Gupta - will be retiring on January 27. Swati Maliwal is a women's rights activist and the current Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). Before joining DCW, Maliwal worked as the advisor to the Chief Minister of Delhi on public grievances. Maliwal was a core member of the Indian Against Corruption movement.

Maliwal has been associated with various campaigns and movements aimed at combating violence against women, advocating for stricter laws, and promoting gender equality. A Delhi court on Thursday, meanwhile, allowed party leader Sanjay Singh to sign re-nomination documents from jail. Sanjay Singh, a senior Aam Aadmi Party leader is an accused in a money laundering case related to the Excise policy case and was arrested on October 4, 2023, by the Enforcement Directorate.

His bail plea was dismissed by the trial court on December 22, 2023 and stated that the Court is of prima facie view that the case against him is genuine. Evidence shows his involvement in the alleged offence of money laundering. There are reasonable grounds for believing that he is guilty of the alleged offence of money laundering."