Swarāj can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule". The term was used synonymously with "home-rule" by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati and later on by Mahatma Gandhi, but the word usually refers to Gandhi's concept of Indian independence from foreign domination. Swaraj lays stress on governance, not by a hierarchical government, but by self-governance through individuals and community building. The focus is on political decentralisation. Since this is against the political and social systems followed by Britain, Gandhi's concept of Swaraj advocated India's discarding British political, economic, bureaucratic, legal, military, and educational institutions. S. Satyamurti, Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru were among a contrasting group of Swarajists who laid the foundation for parliamentary democracy in India.
Arvind Kejriwal is an Indian politician, activist and former bureaucrat, who served as the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi. He was the chief minister from 2013 to 2014 and from 2015 to 2024. He is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) since 2012. He has represented the New Delhi constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly since 2015 and from 2013 to 2014.
Kumar Vishwas is an Indian Hindi poet, a lecturer and former politician. He was a founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a former member of its National Executive.
Yogendra Yadav is an Indian activist, psephologist and politician whose primary interests are in the political and social sciences. He was a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi from 2004 to 2016. He is a former member of University Grants Commission (UGC) and National Advisory Council on the Right to Education Act (NAC-RTE) constituted by Ministry of Human Resources and Development, Govt of India, in 2010. He was a member of the National Executive of the Aam Aadmi Party until 2015.
Manish Sisodia is an Indian politician, journalist and former social activist who served as the first Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi from 2015 to 2023. He represents the Patparganj constituency in Delhi Legislative Assembly since 2015 and had also represented the constituency from 2013 to 2014. He is one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a member of its National Executive Committee.
Parivartan (Transformation) is a grass-roots activism organization based in the Sundar Nagari area of New Delhi, India. During the 2000s, Parivartan used Right to Information (RTI) to address citizens' grievances related to Public Distribution System (PDS), public works, social welfare schemes, income tax and electricity. By 2012, Parivartan was largely inactive, and its main leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia had launched a political party - the Aam Aadmi Party.
Sanjay Singh is an Indian politician, activist, national spokesman for Aam Aadmi Party, a member of the Rajya Sabha from Delhi. He was convicted in a 2001 protest case and was later given bail. In October 2023, he was arrested by Enforcement Directorate on allegations of bribery and liquor scam. After 6 months of custody, he was released on bail by Supreme Court. The court castigated the police that nothing was recovered. He was the first to be bailed out, out of several AAP leaders who were arrested, such as Satyendra Jain, Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal. The order became a case study in legal circles on how the court evaded directly ruling against the central government.
The Aam Aadmi Party is a political party in India. It was founded on 26 November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement against then government of Indian National Congress. The AAP is currently the governing party in the Indian state of Punjab and the union territory of Delhi. On 10 April 2023, the AAP was officially granted the status of national party by the ECI. The party's election symbol is a broom. The party is currently part of the coalition I.N.D.I.A. Recently, popular UPSC educator Awadh Ojha joined the AAP.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly election was held on 4 December 2013, with the result announced on 8 December resulting in formation of the Fifth Legislative Assembly of Delhi.
Rakhi Birla is an Indian politician serving as Deputy Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly. She has served as Cabinet Minister of Women & Child, Social Welfare and Languages in the Government of Delhi. She represents Mangol Puri constituency from Aam Admi Party.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly election was held on 7 February 2015 to elect 70 members of the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi. The results were announced on 10 February 2015. The Aam Aadmi Party secured an absolute majority in the assembly, winning 67 of the 70 seats.
Sandeep Kumar is an Indian politician who served as minister of SC/ST Welfare and Women and Child Welfare in the Delhi government, under the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. He was the youngest minister in Kejriwal's cabinet during his tenure. He was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. He represents Sultan Pur Majra in the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi.
Atishi Marlena, , is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 8th Chief Minister of Delhi since 21 September 2024, after the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal. She belongs to the Aam Aadmi Party and is a member of its Political Affairs Committee, the governing body of the party. Prior to her appointment as the chief minister, she also served as the Minister of Education, P.W.D, Culture and Tourism in the Delhi Government. Previously, she served as advisor to the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, primarily on education, from July 2015 to 17 April 2018. Atishi is one of only two women currently serving as a chief minister in India, along with Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal.
The Panchayat raj is a political system originating from the Indian subcontinent, primarily found in India and neighboring countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is one of the oldest systems of local government in the Indian subcontinent, with historical mentions dating back to around 250 CE. The word 'raj' means 'rule,' and panchayat' means 'assembly' (ayat) of 'five' (panch). Traditionally, panchayats consisted of wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. These assemblies resolved disputes between individuals and villages. However, there were various forms of such assemblies.
Sushil Kumar Gupta is an Indian politician, businessman and owner of various schools in and around Delhi. He was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party.
Swati Maliwal is a social activist and politician. She currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Delhi. She participated in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare and later, served as the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) from 2015 to 2024.
The Third Kejriwal cabinet is the Council of Ministers in Delhi Legislative Assembly headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election for all 70 constituencies is scheduled to be held on 5 February 2025. Results will be declared on 8 February 2025
The Aam Aadmi Party Punjab or AAP Punjab is the Punjab state wing of Aam Aadmi Party and a recognised State party in Punjab. Currently, it is the governing party in the Punjab Legislative Assembly and has significant representation of the state in Rajya Sabha.
Aam Aadmi Party Delhi or AAP Delhi is a state wing of Aam Aadmi Party. AAP became a state party in Delhi in 2013. The party contested its first election in Delhi in 2013 and was successful in winning 28 seats in a hung assembly. It got outside support from Indian National Congress and Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi but he resigned after 49 days due to differences with INC. In the following 2015 elections, AAP won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly, limiting BJP at just 3 seats and INC with none and Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi. AAP formed the government again in the subsequent 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, winning 62 seats.
