CM Kejriwal will address rally in Rajouri Garden on April 6

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a rally in the poll-bound Rajouri Garden constituency on April 6 as the AAP goes all out to recapture the West Delhi seat. Mr Kejriwal has been campaigning for the municipal polls and has addressed a series of rallies, mostly in Outer Delhi’s Poorvanchali-dominated areas, since March 31.

Bypoll on the Rajouri Garden seat will be held on April 9. It was vacated by AAP’s Jarnail Singh as he was fielded against SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal in the Punjab state polls. Jarnail Singh was defeated by Mr Badal by a big margin. This time, the AAP has fielded a new face, Harjeet Singh, in the Sikh-dominated constituency.

A senior AAP leader explained the move saying the party hopes to beat the simmering anger against Jarnail Singh, for having vacated the seat not even halfway into his term, by riding on the “fresh face”.

The Congress has fielded Meenakshi Chandela, a popular local face, while the BJP-SAD combine candidate is Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who won the constituency in 2013. Ms Chandela had unsuccessfully contested from the seat in 2015.

For the ruling AAP, the bypoll is a critical test of its popularity, while for the Congress, the outcome will be significant for its revival. The election will be held on April 9, days before the national capital votes to choose councillors for the three corporations.

Rajouri Garden is dominated by around 50 per cent population of Sikhs and Punjabis. The Congress has fielded Khyala councillor Meenakshi Chandela as its candidate while the AAP has come up with a new face — Harjeet Singh — for the bypoll.