Fri Jan 31 20:05:21 UTC 2025: ## Veteran Lawyer Ashok Agarwal Contests Delhi Assembly Election on CPI(M) Ticket

**NEW DELHI, February 1, 2025** – Ashok Agarwal, a Supreme Court advocate with three decades of experience fighting for social justice in Delhi, is contesting the upcoming Karawal Nagar Assembly election as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate. The 72-year-old is shifting his focus from legal advocacy to politics, citing limitations in achieving large-scale impact through the courts.

Agarwal’s campaign will address key local issues in Karawal Nagar, including inadequate drainage, irregular water supply, insufficient medical facilities, and a lack of accessible educational institutions. He plans to utilize a two-pronged approach, employing legal means where possible and leveraging political influence when necessary.

His candidacy takes on added significance given Karawal Nagar’s experience with the 2020 communal riots. Agarwal highlights the CPI(M)’s on-the-ground support during the crisis, including financial aid to affected families and the establishment of a skill center for children of victims. He attributes the riots to attempts by anti-social elements to sow religious discord, contrasting this with the community’s desire for peaceful co-existence.

Agarwal faces competition from Kapil Mishra (BJP), Manoj Tyagi (AAP), and PK Mishra (Congress). His past experience includes a brief stint with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2013, which he left, citing a disconnect between the party’s ideology and its actions. He criticizes the AAP’s governance, particularly its handling of education and labor issues, highlighting exorbitant private school fees, loopholes in the Right to Education Act, and the exploitation of private school teachers. He further points to the lack of a Right to Health law as contributing to the inadequacy of existing healthcare initiatives. Agarwal also emphasizes the need for minimum wage enforcement, arguing that it would render certain government welfare schemes redundant.

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