New Delhi:

With Arvind Kejriwal announcing that he will resign as Delhi Chief Minister soon and return to office only after the people’s verdict on the allegations of corruption against him, the big question is who in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will get the top job.

Assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year, even though Mr Kejriwal yesterday demanded that the election be held in November along with the Maharashtra polls. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, too, has said he will go to the people and return to the top office only after re-election. This effectively means that the top leaders of AAP are not in the race for the Chief Minister’s post.

Even though this Chief Ministerial stint will only be for a few months, the AAP leadership would be looking to choose a prominent leader who can articulate the party’s position on key issues and has wide acceptability among the party ranks.

Here are five leaders who can make the cut

Atishi: Delhi Minister Atishi, holding key portfolios such as education and PWD, is one of the key contenders. An Oxford University alumnus and a Rhodes scholar, Ms Atishi has worked extensively in the AAP’s flagship exercise to overhaul education in Delhi’s schools. An MLA from Kalkaji, the 43-year-old became a minister after Mr Sisodia was arrested in a corruption case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. When Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia were behind bars, Atishi articulated the party’s position. On August 15, Mr Kejriwal chose her to hoist the tricolour at Delhi government’s Independence Day event. While Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena foiled the plan, it was clear that the AAP leadership places a lot of faith in Ms Atishi.

Saurabh Bharadwaj: Mr Bharadwaj is a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash and holds portfolios such as vigilance and health in the Arvind Kejriwal government. He, too, was named a minister after Mr Sisodia’s arrest in the liquor policy case. Mr Bharadwaj, who has worked as a software engineer in the past, was also a minister in Arvind Kejriwal’s 49-day government. He is also a national spokesperson of the AAP and was articulating the party’s position when its top leaders were in jail after being arrested by central agencies in corruption cases.

Raghav Chadha: A member of the AAP’s national executive and political affairs committee, Mr Chadha is a Rajya Sabha MP from the party and one of its top faces. Mr Chadha has earlier worked as a chartered accountant and has been in the AAP since its inception. He has been an MLA from Rajinder Nagar and played a key role in the AAP’s thumping victory in Punjab in the 2022 state polls. The 35-year-old is among the most prominent young politicians in the country and is known for articulating AAP’s position on key issues in Parliament.

Kailash Gahlot: A lawyer by profession, Mr Gahlot is among the senior members of the AAP government in Delhi and holds key portfolios such as transport, finance and home affairs. The 50-year-old leader is MLA from Delhi’s Najafgarh constituency since 2015. An advocate who has practised in both Delhi High Court and Supreme Court, he has served as a member executive in the high court bar association between 2005 and 2007.

Sanjay Singh: A Rajya Sabha MP since 2018, Sanjay Singh is one of the AAP’s most prominent faces known for his spirited speeches in Parliament. The 52-year-old leader is among the founder members of the party and is a member of its national executive and political affairs committee. He is also a regular in the party’s media interactions to articulate its position on key issues. Sanjay Singh was also arrested in connection to a corruption case linked to the Delhi liquor policy case and is currently out on bail, like Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia.

New Delhi:

Shortly after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that he would resign within two days and seek justice in the “people’s court”, the BJP hit back, questioning if this decision was due to a “rift” in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that its leader cannot handle. 

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi and Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva slammed the Delhi Chief Minister and alleged that his corruption has hollowed out governance in the national capital.

“You didn’t resign when in jail, but are now announcing that you will resign in 48 hours? People want to know the mystery behind these 48 hours. You don’t have to discharge duties of the Chief Minister, why do you need 48 hours?” Mr Trivedi asked.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Mr Kejriwal in a corruption case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy, six months after his arrest. The court has, however, imposed several conditions on the AAP leader. He cannot enter the Chief Minister’s office and sign official documents unless necessary to obtain the Lieutenant Governor’s sanctions.

“What is the personal work for which you are seeking 48 hours? His resignation announcement is his confession. Another suspicion arises. You are demanding an early election. Maybe this talk of a poll battle is coming from a battle within your party that you feel you cannot handle. What is the desperation behind this resignation talk?”

The BJP MP said Mr Kejriwal is still the Delhi Chief Minister and has a huge majority in the Assembly. “If you want polls, call a cabinet meeting, dissolve the Assembly. What’s there to demand?”

Addressing the media, Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva said Mr Kejriwal is saying the people should decide if he should be Chief Minister. “The people have announced their verdict three months back (during Lok Sabha polls). You had roamed Delhi streets and asked for votes. The people gave their answer and put you in your place,” he said.

The BJP leader said 40 Delhi children lost their lives because the AAP government did not clean drains. “And you say you are honest? The cause of their death is your corruption,” he said.

Targeting the AAP government’s much-touted education model, he said there are not enough teachers in Delhi schools.

The Congress, which fought the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi in alliance with AAP, described the Chief Minister’s resignation announcement as a “political stunt”. Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said Mr Kejriwal resigned because he has no powers as Chief Minister and is bound by the Supreme Court’s conditions. “This is a political stunt and nothing else. This will have no impact on the upcoming elections. People want change now,” he said.

Explaining Mr Kejriwal’s announcement, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Arvind Kejriwal has faith in the public. He is known for taking risks. He quit his Income Tax department job and worked in Delhi’s shanties for 10 years. He did not know then that AAP would be formed and he would become Chief Minister.”

Atishi, also a Delhi minister, told NDTV that it is important to understand the man Arvind Kejriwal to understand his decision. “He left the Income Tax commissioner job because he wanted to work for the country. He started AAP from zero because he wanted corruption-free politics. When he could not bring a law against corruption, he resigned. Now imagine how he feels when he is accused of corruption, how he feels that maybe people are talking behind her back. His biggest asset is his honesty, and he has relied on that honesty to make this announcement. Is there another politician or party in this country who has the guts to throw a challenge like this?” she asked.