AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is likely to resign as Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday. He has sought time for a meeting with Lt Governor VK Saxena during which he is likely to tender his resignation on Tuesday.
The AAP supremo had said he would become chief minister and Manish Sisodia his deputy only after the people's verdict on the allegations of corruption against the party leaders.
Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that Kejriwal called a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee today where all the senior leaders and cabinet members of Delhi were called. Another meeting will be called tomorrow where the Delhi CM will interact with the MLAs.
The resignation announcement comes after the AAP national convenor was released on bail from Tihar Jail on September 13 in connection with the excise policy case.
Here is a brief timeline of Arvind Kejriwal's tenure as Delhi Chief Minister:
December 2013: Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi for the first time in alliance with Congress in December 2013. However, he stepped down in February 2014, after 49 days of assuming power.
February 2015: AAP won the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015 with a historic majority, obtaining 67 out of 70 assembly seats.
February 2020: AAP repeated its 2015 victory for a second time winning 62 seats in Delhi Assembly elections. The magnitude of AAP's sweep kept the BJP to single digits and prevented the Congress from opening its account
November 2021: Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government introduced a new excise policy to restructure the alcohol distribution and sale.
July 2022: Delhi's Chief Secretary claimed severe policy breach. The Delhi Lieutenant Governor requests a CBI investigation into the infringement of rules.
August 2021: CBI raided former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Others on Delhi LG's Recommendation, followed by the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money laundering probe on liquor policy.
March 2023: ED detains Manish Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi.
October 2023: AAP Leader Sanjay Singh is arrested by the agency and the first summon is issued to Kejriwal in connection with the liquor policy case.
March 2024: Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the money laundering case tied to the excise policy. He became the first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested while in office. His arrest came after he skipped nine summons from the ED.
May 2024: The ED filed its eighth charge sheet in connection with the money laundering case on May 17 linked to the alleged excise policy scam, naming AAP and the Delhi CM as accused.
May 2024: The Supreme Court granted him interim bail on May 10 until June 1 ahead of the general elections for the campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. The court said that Kejriwal posed no threat to society and had no criminal background.
June 2024: Following the end of his bail, Kejriwal surrendered at Tihar Jail on June 2.
June 2024: Kejriwal was formally arrested by the CBI on June 26 in the corruption case linked to the alleged scam when he was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court. This came after the ED case, which focused on the money trail, while the CBI aimed to establish the corruption and bribery involved.
August 2024: SC allowed the bail pleas of AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in ED as well as CBI case on August 9, saying that he cannot be kept behind bars for an unlimited period of time in hope of speedy completion of trial in the excise policy case.
September 2024: SC grants bail to CM Kejriwal in the corruption case lodged by the CBI on September 13. However, Justice Surya Kant, heading a two-judge Bench, turned down his distinct plea challenging arrest by the CBI.
What's Next For AAP?
Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation on September 15 and announced that he will resign as Delhi Chief Minister in 24 hours. He said that he would return to office only after the people's verdict on the allegations of corruption against him.
The AAP legislative party will elect a new leader, who will elect a new leader. The new leader will then stake claim to form a government.
The majority will need to be demonstrated on the floor of the House and the newly appointed CM will form a fresh council of ministers.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly's current term is slated to conclude in February 2025. However, the ongoing annual summary revision of electoral rolls in Delhi is not complete. The process is expected to conclude with the publication of the final updated rolls by January 6, 2025.
The integrated draft roll will be prepared between October 19-28. In the last assembly election in 2020, the EC had announced the election schedule for Delhi on January 6, 2020.