In a major political development, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal announced Sunday that he will step down from his position in two days, citing corruption charges against him as the reason for this decision.

During his address, Kejriwal stated that allegations of corruption have been made against both — him and AAP leader Manish Sisodia.

Kejriwal demanded that the Delhi elections, scheduled for February, be advanced to November to coincide with the Maharashtra elections.

He announced that a meeting of the AAP legislature party would be held in a few days to appoint a new leader who would assume the role of Chief Minister.

Kejriwal stated, “I will resign in two days. I will seek the people’s opinion on my honesty, and until they respond, I will not occupy the Chief Minister’s chair. I will only resume the position of Chief Minister, with Sisodia as Deputy Chief Minister, if the people affirm our integrity.”

Kejriwal also launched a scathing attack on the BJP, stating that the AAP has transformed Indian politics and given it a new direction.

He criticised ”BJP’s efforts” to undermine AAP, saying, “Their conspiracies have failed to break our spirits. We are back among you, and we will continue fighting for the nation.”

He added that his imprisonment was not due to corruption but rather an attempt to dismantle AAP and its government.

“They thought they could break Kejriwal’s spirit by sending him to jail. But neither I nor our MLAs or workers were broken,” he said.

Kejriwal explained that he did not resign while in jail because he wanted to protect democracy.

“Their new formula is to arrest the Chief Ministers where the BJP does not have power, just as they did with Hemant Soren, so he did not resign from jail” he remarked.

Reflecting on his time in jail, Kejriwal shared that he found solace in reading and studying. He read the diary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, along with religious texts like the Gita and Ramayana.

The Chief Minister alleged that he wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, requesting permission for Minister Atishi to hoist the flag on Independence Day.

In response to this letter, Kejriwal claimed he was threatened that if he wrote another such letter from jail, his weekly meetings with his family would be stopped.

Kejriwal further remarked that even the British allowed Bhagat Singh to write letters while he was in jail, but as an elected Chief Minister, he was not permitted to do so.

He also noted that while Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were placed in the same jail by the British, he and Manish Sisodia were put in different cells despite being arrested in the same case.

Kejriwal concluded by urging all Chief Ministers not to resign under pressure, stating that he and his party have overcome many challenges due to their integrity and determination.

During the party address, Kejriwal was accompanied by his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, as well as AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and his wife, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Delhi Minister Atishi, and his aide Bibhav Kumar.

After his release from Tihar Jail, Kejriwal resumed his duties by holding a meeting with AAP leaders to discuss the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections on October 5.

In the excise policy case, Kejriwal met with senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi at his residence on Saturday. The Aam Aadmi Party also issued a statement expressing gratitude to Singhvi for his robust defense of Kejriwal’s case before the Supreme Court.