AAP names Sushil Rinku as party candidate from Jalandhar

Jalandhar, April 6

Having joined the Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday, former Congress MLA Sushil Rinku was announced as the party’s candidate for the Jalandhar bypoll this afternoon.

Rinku addressed the media seated next to his alleged bete noire Sheetal Angural, AAP’s Jalandhar (West) MLA. A three-hour delay in the media event was reportedly caused by the duo’s initial reluctance to appear together. However, according to sources, senior party leaders spent hours persuading them, following which they buried the hatchet.

AAP state general secretary and Mandi Board Chairman Harchand Singh Barsat, MLAs Balkar Singh (Kartarpur), and Raman Arora (Jalandhar Central) and AAP leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara were among senior party leaders present on the occasion.

Speaking on preparations for the election, Rinku said, “Full-blown preparations are on for the upcoming polls. The issues on which election is to be fought are being noted down. CM Mann is also invested in the upcoming poll. He will personally pitch in for the fight and will be staying in Jalandhar for a long time in the coming days.”

Questioned on crackdowns and bans on certain media channels in the state, Rinku replied, “Democracy is being compromised in the country. At places, people are being hounded by the Central Government, institutions are being misused, freedom of press is in danger and we will fight for it.”