Explainer: Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation announcement, masterstroke or political risk?


New Delhi:

In a shocking development, Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced his resignation from the post of Chief Minister. He said that he will resign from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi within the next two days. Kejriwal made this announcement two days after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the corruption case related to Delhi’s now-canceled liquor policy. The Delhi Chief Minister made this announcement while addressing the first big gathering after being released from jail after six months. Is this announcement of Kejriwal a strategy to garner the sympathy of the people of the capital before going to the Delhi Assembly elections? Will this step of his be effective in proving himself clean before the public? By taking this step, Kejriwal has made a masterstroke of politics, or has he taken a huge risk?

Justice should be done in the court of the people: Arvind Kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said that he has got justice in the court of law, but now he wants justice in the court of the people. He said, “After two days I will resign from the post of Chief Minister. I will not sit on that chair until the public gives its verdict. Elections in Delhi are still many months away. I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the court of the people. I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair only after the order of the people.” He said, “I want to ask the people of Delhi whether Kejriwal is innocent or guilty? If I have worked, then vote for me.”

Taking aim at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Kejriwal appealed to non-BJP chief ministers not to resign from jail if cases are filed against them. The Delhi Chief Minister said, “They file false cases against non-BJP chief ministers. If they are arrested, I urge them not to resign but run the government from jail.”

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Kejriwal said that he did not resign earlier because he wanted to fight for democracy. He said, “I did not resign (after the arrest) because I respect democracy and the Constitution is supreme for me.”

Aam Aadmi Party MLAs will elect the new Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal said that 60 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs will meet in Delhi within the next two days to elect the next Chief Minister for the national capital. After this, he will resign from the post of Chief Minister. The AAP leader also demanded that elections be held in Delhi first. Elections in Delhi are to be held in February. Kejriwal demanded that Delhi elections be held in November along with Maharashtra elections.

He said, “Elections are to be held in February. I demand that elections be held along with Maharashtra elections in November… By the time the elections are held, there will be another Chief Minister from the party. There will be a meeting of MLAs in the next 2-3 days, in which a decision will be taken on the next Chief Minister.”

The Chief Minister said that he will go among the people and seek their support. He said, “I will go to every house and street and will not sit on the CM’s chair until I get the decision from the people.”

This indicates that the Aam Aadmi Party has planned a massive contact campaign to connect with the people before the elections in the capital. Apart from Kejriwal, his former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who is on bail in the liquor policy case, can play an important role in this campaign.

How much benefit and how much risk is there in demanding early elections?

This shocking announcement by Kejriwal may give electoral advantage to the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal has taken a moralistic stand and said that he has no lust for power. He wants the people’s decision before returning to the post of Chief Minister of the state.

However, the BJP has termed Kejriwal’s announcement as a “drama” and said that whenever elections are held in Delhi, the BJP will win.

BJP leader Harish Khurana told NDTV, “Why after 48 hours? He should resign today itself. People of Delhi are asking, can’t he go to the secretariat, can’t he sign the documents? Then what is the point?” When asked if the BJP is ready for early elections, Khurana replied, “We are ready, whether today or tomorrow. We will return to power in Delhi after 25 years.”

Kejriwal’s surprise move could backfire. He has clearly indicated and Manish Sisodia has also said that they will return to power only if the people vote in their favour. This means that the top two AAP leaders are not in the race for the chief minister’s post and the party will have to choose one of its other prominent faces for the chief minister’s post till the elections. Choosing a chief minister for a few months often leads to power struggles and mass exit of leaders. For example, Bihar’s Nitish Kumar vacated the seat for Jitan Ram Manjhi but there was a lot of political upheaval later. Similarly, Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren gave the chief minister’s post to Champai Soren, but later there was a tug-of-war in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with Hemant Soren’s return. Champai rebelled.

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Moreover, demanding early elections is a double-edged sword. For the past few months, the Aam Aadmi Party has been embroiled in legal troubles. Top leaders of the party are in jail. Meanwhile, the opposition is constantly targeting the Delhi government over civic issues like waterlogging in Delhi. At such a time, the demand for elections in November has left the ruling Aam Aadmi Party with very little time to prepare for the elections.

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