The Political Journey Of Swati Maliwal: From Senior AAP Leader To ‘BJP Agent’

New Delhi: Former Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Admi Party, Swati Maliwal, is making headlines after the alleged assault by former Personal Secretary of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar. Delhi CM’s aide, Bibhav, has been sent to police custody for five days for allegedly assaulting AAP leader Maliwal. 

Claiming the incident to be a conspiracy by the Bhartiya Janta Party, the Aam Aadmi Party asserted that Swati is the face and pawn in the plot and termed her a ‘BJP agent’. From her association with the Aam Aadmi Party to becoming an adversary amid allegations, here’s Swati Maliwal’s political journey. 

Swati Maliwal’s Arrival In Politics 

Swati Maliwal was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP in January 2024. After the AAP formed the government in Delhi, she was appointed as the head of the Delhi Commission for Women. She was the youngest woman to head the Women’s Commission, at the age of 31. Arvind Kejriwal praised Swati’s tenure in the DCW by calling her ‘Delhi's Lady Singham'. 

Maliwal was born in 1984 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Her father is a retired Air Force officer, and her mother is a retired school principal. Swati studied at Amity International School and graduated in IT. However, she left her job to work in the social sector. She joined Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia's NGO, 'Parivartan'. During this time, she worked with people living in slums. To understand the lives of people living in slums, she also lived in the slums of East Delhi. After that, Swati became a part of the Anna Movement. 

During the Anna Movement, Swati met Navin; she got married to him on January 23, 2012. However, Swati and Navin's marriage lasted only 8 years. They got divorced in February 2020. 

AAP’s Allegations Against Swati 

AAP leader Atishi claims that the BJP has been restless ever since Arvind Kejriwal was released from jail. In response, the BJP allegedly plotted a conspiracy involving Swati Maliwal. According to Atishi, Maliwal went to the Chief Minister's residence without an appointment, intending to make accusations against him. However, since Kejriwal was not there at the time, she left, and after that, allegations were made against Bibhav Kumar.