News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee / 17th September 2024
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, announced on Sunday that he would seek “justice from the people’s court” in an upcoming election. He resigned from his position on Tuesday after meeting with the Lieutenant Governor. After he steps down, Minister Atishi of the Aam Aadmi Party will take over as head of the Delhi administration until the Assembly elections, which are scheduled for February 2025.
Following his detention in relation to purported anomalies in Delhi’s liquor policy—a case that also involves Manish Sisodia, his former deputy chief minister—Kerjriwal tendered his resignation. After receiving bail, Sisodia, who spent 18 months in jail, has promised to run for office again. The AAP has claimed that Sisodia’s arrest was a part of a “political conspiracy” by BJP
Prominent AAP officials including Raghav Chadha, Kailash Gahlot, and Sanjay Singh were on the list of possible successors, but Atishi was selected as the interim chief minister by the party members overwhelmingly. Well-known inside the AAP figure Atishi has promised to keep pushing for Kejriwal’s reelection.
“I will work with just one goal. We have to make Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister of Delhi once again,” she said to the press after her new post was announced earlier today. She expressed gratitude to Kejriwal for his trust in her leadership, saying, “I come from an ordinary family. Had I been in any other party, perhaps I would not have been given even an election ticket. But Arvind Kejriwal trusted me, made me an MLA [legislator] and a minister and today, gave me the responsibility of the Chief Minister.”
After serving six months in jail in connection with the liquor policy case, Kejriwal—who has served as the face of Delhi’s government since 2015—was recently released on bail by the Supreme Court. Due to legal restrictions, he was unable to carry out his official duties as Chief Minister; nonetheless, his party has called for an election in November, potentially in conjunction with the Maharashtra elections, in order to seek a new mandate from the people of Delhi.
Although the AAP thinks an early poll could hasten Kejriwal’s return to power, the formal dates for the Delhi legislative assembly elections are February of next year.
