Known as the “pad woman” of Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Jeevanjyot Kaur, is fighting her first election, and will be contesting against stalwarts Punjab Congress chief Navjyot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Bikram Majithia from Amritsar East on February 20. Jeevanjyot is among the 12 women candidates that the AAP has fielded in Punjab. Amritsar East has become one of the keenly watched constituencies in Punjab after the Akalis fielded Majithia.
AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with the party’s chief ministerial face and two-time MP Bhagwant Mann, led a road show in an effort to consolidate support for her and the party in Amritsar East where the party had drawn a blank in the 2017 assembly elections indicating that it is not giving up on any seat. Tough as it may be for the AAP in this constituency, but the party is leaving no stone unturned to boost its campaign with the hope of sending a strong political signal.
On fighting her first election, Jeevanjyot said, “I will tell you. It is people’s confidence, their love and their trust in the AAP. In 2013, when Arvind ji defeated Sheila Dixit (former Delhi chief minister from Congress), he was also a newcomer. So, that’s an inspiration for us.”
Jeevanjyot, 50, has worked towards making health care and education accessible to children and women for the past 25 years. She has visited jails across Punjab to ensure basic necessities such as sanitary napkins are available to women. When asked what made her take such bold steps, Jeevanjyot says, “Let me tell you, I have been very actively working with ladies here. I have been into drug de-addiction also. So, I have seen women, I have seen mothers and sisters who have lost all their men — brothers and husbands — to drugs. There is one particular area here in Amritsar East, which is Maqboor Pura… you will see families who have lost all their male members to drugs. So, that was one aspect. So, yes, I thought that if I have a chance to change their lives, I must do that”.
Jeevanjyot’s political journey started in 2015 when she joined the AAP as the youngest volunteer from the city, and became the campaign in charge of Majitha constituency in 2017 assembly election. She was later appointed the district president, and was also the co-president of the AAP’s women wing.
Her children, advocate Harnoor Singh and Nimarta Kaur, who is a dentist, have been helping her with campaigns. “She is taking on such strong people. It means she has already won,” said her daughter, Nimarta Kaur.
On taking on giants Sidhu and Majithia from Amritsar East, Jeevanjyot was critical of Sidhu abandoning his constituency. “What Punjab model is he talking about? He has not delivered here. And people don’t want Amritsar to be another Majitha”. She even said, “I think, the Congress can never deliver”.
Continuing her attack on both Sidhu and Majithia, a confident Jeevanjyot said, “I don’t see this as a battle, let me tell you that. Navjot Singh Sindhu has abandoned his constituency. There has been no development, no work done. He did not visit the constituency even once. And if we talk about Bikram Majithia, we would not like Amritsar East to become another Majitha constituency to be very honest. People are really, really scared of him. So, he does not even know about his future. So, how can he decide his future here?”
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