The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal is set to officially resign from the post of Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday (September 17), churning the national capital's political landscape ahead of the assembly polls early next year. The Chief Minister has sought time for a meeting with Lt Governor VK Saxena to tender his resignation, before which AAP's legislative party is likely to hold a meeting to elect their new leader who will succeed Kejriwal.
On Monday, Kejriwal held a meeting with AAP’s 12-member Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the party’s highest decision-making body, at his residence to deliberate on his successor. This came a day after the 56-year-old announced his resignation from the post, vowing not to sit in the chief minister's chair till people gave him a "certificate of honesty".
After the 90-minute-long meeting of AAP's PAC committee, Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said Kejriwal held one-on-one discussions with each leader and no one knows what the other person told the party chief.
“He [Kejriwal] held one-on-one discussions with each leader and sought feedback on his replacement. Since he met everyone separately, no one knows about the discussions held with other leaders,” Bhardwaj.
AAP has announced that the party's legislative party is to meet on Tuesday at 11:00 am. The legislative party consists of elected lawmakers. They elect a leader, who is then appointed as the CM. The AAP currently has 60 MLAs in the 70-member assembly.
As per the party, Kejriwal is likely to tender his resignation to the LG at 4.30 pm today, after which the name of the new Leader of the legislative party will be proposed as the new Chief Minister.
Kejriwal had said he would become the CM and Manish Sisodia his deputy only after the people gave them their mandate on the allegations of corruption against the party leaders. So far, names of Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj are making the rounds as contenders for the top post in the capital, with several reports adding that Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel were also probables.
Kejriwal Seeks Early Polls
Addressing party workers on Sunday, Kejriwal sought polls in the national capital in November. The Delhi Assembly's term ends on February 23 and the polls are expected to be held sometime in early February.
AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said the party supremo did not have greed for power and honour was paramount for him.
"The big question is why Arvind Kejriwal ji said so... He is known for his honesty. He has lived his entire life with honesty… honest people will not tolerate 'false' allegations which were raised against him," Pathak said.