The spouses of incarcerated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former counterpart from Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, who is also under arrest, convened in Delhi today amidst speculation surrounding Sunita Kejriwal potentially assuming the top position.

Kalpana Soren and Sunita Kejriwal shared a warm embrace and exchanged greetings on camera, perceived as a demonstration of solidarity against what the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) label as the Central government’s misuse of investigative agencies to undermine the Opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

In a social media post, the AAP affirmed, “Despite the arrests of Arvind Kejriwal ji and Hemant Soren ji by the authoritarian government, they (the two women) remain resilient and are fighting alongside the people of their respective states.”

Expressing solidarity with Sunita Kejriwal and her family, Kalpana Soren remarked that the similar ordeal faced by her husband in Jharkhand has now unfolded in Delhi with the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. She asserted that the entire state of Jharkhand stands in support of Sunita Kejriwal and pledged to collectively carry forward the struggle.

Arvind Kejriwal was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of alleged money laundering related to the now-defunct Delhi liquor policy case, while Hemant Soren was apprehended over alleged involvement in a ₹600 crore land scam.

Following Hemant Soren’s arrest, longtime JMM leader Champai Soren assumed the Chief Minister’s position.

Earlier this week, Sunita Kejriwal launched a campaign titled “Kejriwal ko aashirwad” through video announcements on behalf of Arvind Kejriwal, encouraging people to share messages via a designated WhatsApp number.

The video prompted a reaction from the ruling BJP, with Union Minister Hardeep Puri suggesting that Sunita Kejriwal is “preparing for the role of Chief Minister.” Sunita Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer with 22 years of service in the income tax department, met Arvind Kejriwal during a training program in Bhopal. She belongs to the 1994 batch, while Arvind Kejriwal is from the 1995 batch. She opted for voluntary retirement in 2016, with her last posting being at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in Delhi, where she served as the income tax commissioner.