Kejriwal to resign as Delhi CM in two days, demands early elections

AAP national Convenor Arvind Kejriwal


Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced his decision to resign from his position in two days, saying he will not sit on CM’s chair until people give their verdict.

“I am going to resign from the CM position after two days. I will not sit on the CM chair until the people give their verdict… I will go to every house and street and not sit on the CM chair till I get a verdict from the people…,” Kejriwal said while addressing party leaders and supporters in Delhi.

The Delhi CM also demanded elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly, which are scheduled to be held around February next year, to be held in November along with Maharashtra.

“The elections are supposed to be held in February. I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections… Till elections are held, someone else from the party will be the chief minister. In the next 2-3 days, a meeting of the MLAs will be held, where the next CM will be elected,” he said.

In an apparent bid to strike an emotional chord with the people of Delhi, Kejriwal urged them to turn out in large numbers and cast their votes for him to prove his honesty.

“If you think I am honest, vote for me in large numbers. I will sit on the CM’s chair only after being elected,” he added. 

In his speech, Kejriwal also mentioned about his recent time in jail, accusing his opponents of trying to dismantle his party.

“They thought they would break our party and form a government in Delhi after jailing me, but the AAP stood strong. I did not resign from jail because I wanted to protect the Constitution of India,” he said. He further pointed out that the Supreme Court had questioned the central government’s move, proving that a government can indeed operate from behind bars.”

The decision comes days after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in connection with a liquor policy linked corruption case.

While Kejriwal was granted bail, he was barred from entering the office of chief minister and signing any file without the consent of the Delhi Governor.