Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Seeks Appointment From LG VK Saxena, Likely To Resign Tomorrow

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is likely to resign on Tuesday, seeking an appointment with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. The AAP has called for early elections in November, leaving the decision in the hands of the BJP.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to resign from his position on Tuesday and has sought an appointment with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to submit his resignation, according to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources. This follows his announcement on Sunday that he would step down within two days. The Delhi LG office has scheduled Kejriwal's appointment for 4:30 pm tomorrow.

The AAP legislative party meeting is to be held tomorrow at 11 am at Arvind Kejriwal's residence regarding the final decision over the new Delhi Chief Minister, sources revealed. CM Arvind Kejriwal is likely to tender his resignation to the LG at 4.30 pm tomorrow and the name of the new Leader of legislative party will be proposed as the Chief Minister, they added.

Earlier in the day, the AAP called for early elections in November, placing the decision in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The ball is in the BJP's court," said Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj during a press conference, adding that it is now up to the opposition to decide whether they are prepared to face Arvind. "Kejriwal will tender his resignation tomorrow, and the process of selecting a new chief minister will begin after that," he further stated, according to news agency PTI.

The decision on the next CM has not been finalised yet. "After the resignation is accepted, a meeting of party MLAs will be held to decide the new name. We have the majority and will be invited to form the government, with the oath-taking process likely to take a week," Saurabh explained.

AAP’s Political Affairs Committee Meeting To Determine Arvind Kejriwal's Successor?

A meeting of AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) being held on Monday evening will determine the party’s next steps. Sisodia was seen arriving at Kejriwal's residence to discuss probable candidates.

AAP's PAC meeting was scheduled to be held at 5 pm and will include a discussion on who the Delhi Chief Minister will be, sources said. There will also be a discussion on expanding the Delhi cabinet. This is the first PAC after Kejriwal came out of jail, so the Haryana elections will also be discussed in this meeting, as per sources.

On Sunday, Arvind had vowed not to sit as chief minister until he received a "certificate of honesty" from the people, demanding early elections in the capital. The BJP, however, responded by accusing him of creating unnecessary drama. If Kejriwal wants early polls, he should get the Delhi Assembly dissolved instead of staging this drama around his resignation, the BJP said, as per PTI.

Senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, along with other prominent figures including Atishi, Gopal Rai, and Rakhi Birla, have been discussed as potential successors.

Addressing party workers at the AAP headquarters on Sunday, Arvind Kejriwal reiterated his stance on corruption allegations against him, stating he would return as chief minister only after being cleared by the public. He criticised the BJP for allegedly attempting to frame him and other non-BJP chief ministers. "They slap false cases against non-BJP CMs. If arrested, I urge them not to resign but run their government from jail," he remarked.

The AAP supremo also criticised the BJP for failing to provide quality education and free electricity, saying, "We are honest, and they are corrupt." He accused the BJP of conspiring against him but maintained that he respects democracy and the Constitution.

Arvind Kejriwal was last week released on bail from Tihar Jail in the excise policy graft case and has since promised that a party colleague will take over the role of chief minister while he steps aside.