AAP leadership behind bars, why Sanjay Singh bail raises hopes in party

An AAP orator next only to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a Member of Parliament with links across Opposition parties apart from his hold on MLAs in Delhi and Punjab — for a party that has its top brass behind bars, the Supreme Court’s grant of bail to Sanjay Singh could not have been more timely.

With Singh set to be released from Tihar Jail where he spent the last six months after his arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, senior AAP leaders went into a huddle Tuesday afternoon to discuss plans for their Rajya Sabha MP ahead of the party’s Lok Sabha campaign.

His release promises to tackle challenges that may be bigger than the upcoming Lok Sabha elections – that of keeping the AAP flock intact, and removing the hurdles in communicating with INDIA bloc parties following his arrest last October.

“He is very important to the organisation in Delhi, having been with the party since its India Against Corruption days… He will be able to keep the flock together and quell dissent among those who may have been approached and thinking about jumping ship, not just in Delhi but also in Punjab,” a senior AAP leader said.

Ever since the arrest of Kejriwal, the party’s star draw, its election campaigns in Delhi and Punjab have taken a hit. The party had been concentrating on organising protests against his arrest, and the results in some sections were poor.

This, a senior AAP leader said, was set to change after Singh’s return because he is likely to take the lead in organising daily public meetings to mobilise support against Kejriwal’s arrest.

“It is true that the response from people in some parts was not as strong as we would have liked. The people and the cadre were demoralised. Sanjay Ji’s release on bail will