New Delhi: As soon as Kamaljeet Sherawat enters her car, she plugs in her AirPods and belts out a series of instructions to her aide. “Check missed calls’, “Call back”, “check unknown numbers”, “WhatsApp this number to him”. Of the three men sitting in the car, one scrambles through her phone. The first complaint is about an electric meter, the second about a hospital bill, then school admission. The list is long but nobody goes unheard.
She not only forwards these complaints to the respective department heads but also makes sure the government officials follow up. “Please see and help. This man is really worried,” she tells a junior engineer in the electricity department over the phone.
It is Lok Sabha election time and Sherawat has just found her break big in national politics. The Delhi BJP General Secretary is out to win hearts and minds in the West Delhi constituency, a controversial ticket that the party took away from incumbent MP Pravesh Verma and gave to her. Sherawat is in the mould of a long list of feisty BJP women leaders — from Smriti Irani to Nirmala Sitaraman to Sushma Swaraj.
“The responsibility is big but so is my courage. We have so many inspiring women leaders in our party. From Sushma Swaraj ji to Smirti Irani ji. I take inspiration from everyone,” said Sehrawat, sitting in her car while deciding if she should take the metro to reach her next destination or not.
52-year-old Sehrawat is a fiery orator, an efficient manager of voters’ grievances, and a passionate advocate of Modi’s policies. From Article 370 to Ayodhya, Digital India to Balakot and even hing (asafoetida) cultivation in India, her speeches have Modi written all over them. The PM’s popularity has proved to be a handy passport to national politics for many leaders over the last decade.
“Modi ji is my senapati and I am his sainik. He has done all the work. He has done the yagya, we just have to put ahooti in it,” says Sehrawat, addressing the meeting with BJP workers on a recent morning.
And her rallying cry is Kamal plus Jeet, Kamal ke jeet (victory of lotus)—a smart wordplay. Again, something the PM is often credited for when naming his government’s programme or attacking opposition.
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Ram to Krishna, Hindi to Punjabi
Kamaljeet Sehrawat goes to every place she is invited to or hears of. As she finishes a meeting in Hari Nagar, she receives a call informing her of a public gathering in Khyala—it’s a Bhagwat Katha. The MP candidate immediately makes some changes in her schedule for the day and asks her driver to take her there.
“Shift my doctor’s appointment to the end of the day,” she tells her team. It’s like a tip off she is waiting for, to appear before the people.
The street narrowed as her cavalcade got closer to the temple in Khyala. Usually, 3-4 cars go with her. Most people in her team are family. From the driver to the one who shields her from the crowd.
“The car won’t go further, you have to walk,” says the BJP worker who came to receive Sehrawat.
Women sit on the floor of the temple. The priest stops reciting Bhajan as Sehrawat enters the temple. She holds the mic and starts her speech with ‘Jai Shree Ram’, but quickly moves on to the next Hindu temple that needs to be reclaimed by the BJP.
“Lord Krishna spent 125 years on this earth and he gave one strong message. That was to do with Dharma. And we follow Dharma. Aapko unhi ko lana hai jo Ram ko laye hain (you have to vote for those who brought lord Ram)” says Sehrawat wearing a red dupatta and many scarfs on her neck addressing the women.
The priest gets the pulse of the gathering.
“Ram lalla has come, now it’s Krishna’s turn,” the priest shouted as women started clapping.
The rousing reception Sehrawat got at the Hindu temple was a stark contrast to the icy one from the predominantly Sikh neighbourhood of Vishnu Garden.
“Sat Sri Akal Paji, Kamaljeet Sehrawat,” said Sehrawat while addressing the local people on her way out of the neighborhood. Sehrawat speaks English, Hindi, and Punjabi.
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Early start
Sehrawat doesn’t waste a minute. She takes the quickest way to reach her next destination, even if it means jumping out of her SUV to get on a Metro.
“One day, when Google Maps showed heavy traffic on her route, Didi told us to take the Metro. So we all (including Sehrawat) travelled by the Metro,” says Ashish Kaushik, a member of Sehrawat’s team.
Sehrawat’s day starts at 7am. On average, around 30-40 people stay in her four-story house that also doubles up as her office. Two floors are dedicated to the office. Around 100 people come every day to meet her.
“Before the ticket was announced, there were only 25-30 visitors,” said a member in Sehrawat’s team. Lord Krishna spent 125 years on this earth and he gave one strong message. That was to do with Dharma. And we follow Dharma. Aapko unhi ko lana hai jo Ram ko laye hain
–Kamaljeet Sehrawat, BJP candidate from West Delhi constituency
The house is chaotic. Looks like a typical wedding is about to erupt in joyful chaos. All the relatives have descended. But most of the people want to congratulate her and some want to make connections. Some are sitting outside on the chairs and discussing politics. A few on the ground floor scheduling long meetings for Kamaljeet Sehrawat. “She can’t make it on the 14th but there is a slot for the 15th, I will just write your name down,” said the member of her team.
Her schedule is chock-a-block for the next 10 days.
People meet Sehrawat, giving flowers. And she meets everyone with a smile. With the party candidate replaced, the attention of local leaders is shifting too.
Pratima Arora, district vice president of the constituency’s north zone lands up at Sehrawat’s home to congratulate her. She is confident of her win.
Her day has back-to-back media interviews, BJP worker meetings in different districts, weddings, anniversary celebrations, dinners with BJP members.
Many party workers at Sehrawat’s public meetings believe ‘Modi ji surprised everyone by his actions’. When her name was announced, Sehrawat was surprised too.
“It was unexpected for me, I was surprised but happy of course. My life has changed after getting the ticket,” she told ThePrint.
BJP gave tickets to three former mayors — Harsh Malhotra, former mayor of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, from the East Delhi seat; and former North MCD mayor Yogendra Chandolia from the Northwest seat.
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Modi, Modi for MP
Most of Sehrawat’s speeches are about Modi’s work. She weaves a backstory for every Modi’s work. Pulwama, 370, international relations etc. She narrates the history of the BJP to the workers. In fact, she talks more about Modi than her own work as a South Delhi mayor.
“We all use heeng in our kitchen. But do you know, we used to import it from outside and the country that grows it wasn’t allowed to give the plant to anyone? There was a death penalty for this. But Modi ji made better connections with Iran and bought heeng plants here,” says Sehrawat before a crowd of around 80-90 BJP workers in Tilak Nagar.
“Now, 50 per cent of the heeng, we are producing in our country,” she adds.
Although the facts say otherwise. According to an India Today report, it was the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology that first started the cultivation of heeng in 2020. Whether it was the PM’s personal intervention that made this possible is not known.
Sehrawat quickly dabbles between trade and national security with Modi remaining the constant theme.
The former mayor tells BJP workers how revoking Article 370 was a difficult decision for PM Modi and that he started preparations for this in his first tenure itself.
“Revoking Article 370 wasn’t an easy task. People often ask why Modi didn’t revoke it in his first tenure but Modiji has a broad vision. During his first tenure, a delegation from Kashmir used to come, and Modiji used to convince them that after removing Article 370 and 35A, life would change for the people and eventually he succeeded,” says Sehrawat.
“People used to say khoon ki nadiya beh jayenge, patthar chal jayenge. But patthar to kya, ek kankar bhi nahi utha (people would warn of bloodshed and violence but nothing of that sort happened),” said Sehrawat as the hall full of BJP workers erupted with “Bharat mata ki jai” chants.
She also gives a back story to the Balakot airstrike that happened after the Pulwama attack in 2019 and narrates how all three Services chiefs told Modi that our jawans wanted revenge.
“We took 14 days to do the air strike because after talking to chiefs, Modi ji said, you can do the airstrike but there is only one thing I want to say, jitne jayenge utne wapas bhi aane chahiye (I don’t want to lose any soldier in this operation),” said Sehrawat. The hall falls silent. Everyone is watching her as if a thriller movie was being played.
“And we took revenge and didn’t lose any of our soldiers. This is Modi, he takes action,” she adds.
Sehrawat tells the gathering how Modi built his reputation on the world stage. And how that benefited stranded students who were flown in safely during the Ukraine-Russia war. Even the UAE opened its airport at night — a break from protocol — only for Modi, she claims.
“Modi built the temple in the same country where people used to be scared to take the name of lord Ram. This is Modi’s power,” says Sehrawat at a Hari Nagar gathering and the crowd starts chanting “Jai Shree Ram”.
Her template is fixed and gets repeated at every gathering. “This election is for developed India. Remember what Modi ji says — “Yahi samay hai, sahi samay (This is the time and this is the right time).”
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Rising through the ranks
Kamaljeet Sehrawat worked 15 years in the BJP to reach here. Pramod Kumar, additional commissioner of MCD, has worked with her all these years, guiding Sehrawat in all her electoral contests. She first fought assembly election in 2008 from Matiyala Vidhansabha, won the MCD election in 2017 and became a councillor.
Earlier this month, the BJP announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party has dropped 33 sitting MPs and replaced them with fresh faces. Kamaljeet Sehrawat is one such face, replacing Pravesh Verma, a two-time sitting MP from West Delhi constituency.
After the announcement of tickets, Verma held a press conference and said, “There is no reason behind not giving me a ticket. This is our party, where a worker can become a CM and a tea seller can become a PM. BJP gives every worker a chance.”
But the chatter in Delhi BJP betrays Verma’s statement. “Pravesh Verma has released a statement but his true feelings can be seen in his tweets,” says a source in Delhi BJP on the condition of anonymity.
On 11 March PM Modi inaugurated the Dwarka Expressway and many leaders were present there. It was Sehrawat’s constituency. Ramvir Singh Bhiduri posted the picture of the event with Kamaljeet Sehrawat. “But when Verma posted the same picture, Sehrawat was missing from it. This tells a lot,” says the person quoted above.
The former mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation who holds a LLB degree contested the 2008 Delhi assembly polls from the Matiala Vidhan Sabha seat.
“I lost by 6,000 votes only,” says Sehrawat.
The BJP announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party has dropped 33 sitting MPs and replaced them with fresh faces. Kamaljeet Sehrawat is one such face, replacing Pravesh Verma, a two-time sitting MP from West Delhi constituency
“She is very straightforward, doesn’t make any fake promises,” says Kumar, who is Mandal president of Dwarka B.
Sehrawat holds a special place in the hearts of women BJP workers. Many draw inspiration from her and many think that the party does recognise women.
“Modi ji keeps changing things. He says that every worker should get a chance and now he has proved it. I am so happy as a woman that Sehrawat ji got the ticket,” says Pratima Arora, district vice-president of West Delhi. After Sehrawat’s candidature was announced, Arora had posted a picture on social media with the MP candidate saying Kamal will win and so will Kamaljeet.
In the last few days, Kamaljeet Sehrawat’s social media platforms have become more active. New reels, her day’s schedules and pictures from every event she goes to can be found. A team of three photographers travels with Sehrawat and keeps sending the photos to her social media team, which sits in her Dwarka office. Her posts are filled with the events and posters promoting BJP. “Main hoon modi ka parivar (I am Modi’s family)” reads one photo posted by Sherawat on Instagram where she has 3.9K followers, apart from 44K on twitter and more than 3 lakh on Facebook.
Sehrawat joined the BJP in 2006 and has since served in various capacities — from District Vice President, Najafgarh (2007-2009), to secretary, Delhi BJP and president, Mahila Morcha, Delhi BJP. Before that, she was part of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). She is presently Director at Genius Commercial & Educational Institute Pvt. Ltd, a study abroad programme.
But it’s the work she did as the mayor that Sehrawat quotes at these gatherings — pink toilets to LED lights.
Born in Uttam Nagar and living in Dwarka, Sehrawat plays her beti and bahu cards before the voters, communicating how accessible she is to the common people.
“I am your daughter, daughter-in-law and sister. I am one of you and now I want all of you to become Kamaljeet Sehrawat for the next 60 days. Aap 60 din sambhal lein, main agle 60 mahine sambhal lungi. (you handle these 60 days and I will handle the next 60 months for you),” she says.
Aware of the cynicism voters bring to the electoral exercise, the former mayor is pushing hard to persuade the public. “I was like this before and I will be like this in the future. You can come to me anytime with any problem and I will solve it; there will be times when I won’t be able to solve it as no one has every solution. But I assure you that I will hear you and try my best.”
Sehrawat attends 6-8 weddings each day, after completing the meetings with BJP workers. At all such gatherings, a huge crowd comes up to her introducing themselves and clicking a picture for their social media. Everyone wants to show off. And Sehrawat is always ready to pose.
“I worked with her when she was Mahapaur. She was awarded by President Ramnath Kovind for changing the sodium street lights to LED lights. She has promoted women of her team,” said Shweta Saini, former councilor and Mahamantri, west Delhi, BJP.
“She inaugurated the first pink booth toilet in the city as mayor, we won’t be getting a sansad but a daughter and a sister in her,” she adds.
MCD officials who had worked with her describe her as an outstanding leader who always gives priority to work and people. “Her reach among local people is unspeakable. Madam’s communication skills are outstanding. She used to take quick action and never postponed work. It was all smooth with her,” says Pradeep Kumar, additional commissioner of MCD, who used to work with Sehrawat when he was Deputy Commissioner.
Sehrawat is on a roll all day. She attends 6-8 weddings each day, after completing the meetings with BJP workers. At all such gatherings, a huge crowd comes up to her introducing themselves and clicking a picture for their social media. Everyone wants to show off. And Sehrawat is always ready to pose.
After every meeting, she combs her hair, dabs her cheeks, and applies lipstick, doing everything while answering the missed calls.
She beats the traffic and reaches the last meeting in time. Her throat is giving up but she isn’t. After her speeches, she takes hot water, and pills for her throat but it isn’t getting better.
“The doctors’ meetings were on priority, but the priority keeps changing, this is a life of politics. There is everything that needs to be planned but not everything goes according to the plan,” she says.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)