A day after the bombshell announcement of his resignation as Delhi chief minister within two days, Arvind Kejriwal on Monday met senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia amid curiosity over who the party will choose as the successor.
The AAP's Political Affairs Committee meeting is also scheduled to be held at the Delhi chief minister's residence later in the evening.
Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, September 15, said that he will resign as Delhi chief minister in two days and not sit on the CM's chair till people give him a "certificate of honesty".
The AAP national convener said that he would become chief minister and Manish Sisodia his deputy "only when people say we are honest".
The chief minister said the Delhi Assembly election is due in February but he demands that it be held in November, along with the Maharashtra polls.
Arvind Kejriwal was released on bail from Tihar Jail on Friday in a graft case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam. On August 9, Manish Sisodia was released on bail after being jailed for 17 months in the same case.
Kejriwal on Sunday said he would hold a meeting of the AAP MLAs in a couple of days and one of his party colleagues would take over as the chief minister.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sought time for a meeting with Lt Governor VK Saxena on Tuesday and is likely to tender his resignation, AAP said. "The chief minister has sought time from Saxena for a meeting on Tuesday. He is likely to tender his resignation," the party said on Monday.
Can Early Polls Be Held In Delhi?
Arvind Kejriwal's unexpected announcement kicked up a strong buzz over the names of his wife Sunita and his ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai as his possible replacement.
As Kejriwal pitched for early polls, experts said the Delhi government might have to write to the Election Commission (EC), giving reasons behind the demand.
The final decision will, however, rest with the poll panel on when to hold the election.
Legally, the EC has the power to hold the Assembly polls in Delhi alongside Maharashtra. But on previous occasions, the polls in Delhi were held separately. The EC should have a reason to club the Maharashtra and Delhi polls, news agency PTI quoted as saying an an expert, who refused to be named.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the AAP supremo's move as "drama" and a "confession of crime" and wondered whether he has offered to quit because of infighting within his party.
Slamming Kejriwal, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "The AAP national convenor's announcement is a part of his plan to make his wife Sunita Kejriwal the chief minister.... Arvind Kejriwal has done a PhD in how to make a virtue out of necessity."
Addressing a press conference, another BJP national spokesperson, Sudhanshu Trivedi, said Kejriwal's announcement that he would step down as the chief minister was a confession of his crime. He accepted that the charges that have been levelled against him are such that he cannot continue on the top post, Trivedi said.
