Arvind Kejriwal's Resignation: Check List Of Possible Candidates For Post Of Next Delhi CM
Kejriwal has said he would hold a meeting of AAP MLAs in the next couple of days and a party leader would take over as chief minister.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that he will step down from the post of Delhi Chief Minister in the next two days and will not sit on the top chair till the people of the national capital give him a “certificate of honesty”. Kejriwal, who was released on bail from Tihar jail two days ago after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the Delhi excise policy graft case, said he would hold a meeting of AAP MLAs in the next couple of days and a party leader would take over as chief minister.
"Delhi elections are due in February but I demand that elections in the national capital be held in November with Maharashtra...I will only sit on CM's chair after people give me a certificate of honesty. Want to give 'agnipariksha' after coming out of jail... I will become chief minister and Manish Sisodia deputy CM only when people say we are honest," the Delhi Chief Minister said.
VIDEO | "(The Supreme) Court has done what it could by ruling in my favor and granting me bail. Today, I have come to the people's court to ask you whether you consider Kejriwal guilty or honest. In two days, I will be resigning from the CM's position, and I won’t sit in that… pic.twitter.com/x1xNQE56UG
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 15, 2024
After the announcement, speculations are rife over who will be the next Chief Minister of Delhi. Sources told ABP that Delhi Ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj are among the frontrunners for the top post. The party is also mulling over the names of senior AAP leader and Delhi Ministers Kailash Gehlot and Gopal Rai, several media reports said.
Current Portfolio of Probable Candidates
Atishi - She currently holds five departments in the Delhi cabinet, including Women and child development, education, tourism, art, culture and Language, Public Works Department, and power.
Saurabh Bharadwaj - Bharadwaj has seven departments under him, including Vigilance, Services, health, industries, urban development, irrigation and flood control, and water.
Kailash Gahlot - Gahlot is currently serving as Minister of Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs, Transport, Administrative Reform, IT, Revenue, Finance, Planning, and all other departments not specifically allotted to any minister in Kejriwal's cabinet.
Gopal Rai - He is currently the minister of development, general administration department, environment, and forest and wildlife in the AAP government.
Apart from these names, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that Kejriwal is convincing AAP MLAs to nominate his wife Sunita Kejriwal as the next CM. Reacting to Kejriwal's big announcement, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Kejriwal has "asked for a two-day time because he is convincing all MLAs to make his wife the CM."
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