NEW DELHI: Just a day after being released on bail, Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday he would resign as chief minister of the Delhi regional government.
Kejriwal, 55, was granted bail on Friday by India’s Supreme Court and left prison on Saturday almost six months after being detained in relation to alleged irregularities in the capital city’s liquor policy.
A fierce critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal whose decade-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) quickly rose to mainstream politics, although its clout is relatively small compared to older opposition parties.
AAP had expected that Kejriwal’s release from prison would allow him to campaign as a chief minister in regional elections next month in the northern state of Haryana, and in Delhi early next year.
However, Kejriwal while announcing his resignation as chief minister at a meeting with AAP workers said he would only return to the post if people certify his honesty by voting for him in the upcoming Delhi election. He called on the Election Commission to bring forward the Delhi election to November, from February 2025.
“I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections, I demand the elections be held immediately,” Kejriwal said.
He was first taken into custody in March by India’s financial crime-fighting agency, weeks before the country’s national elections, in relation to Delhi’s liquor policy.
Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024
