If Arvind Kejriwal resigns, who will become the CM of Delhi?
NEW DELHI: The arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has created a leadership crisis in the Aam Aadmi Party as well as the Delhi government. It is being asked in political circles who will become the next Chief Minister of Delhi and who will lead “AAP” for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
After Kejriwal’s arrest, the names of his wife Sunita Kejriwal and cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj are being discussed as possible successors. However, the main challenge before AAP now is to bring in a capable leader who can handle both the party and its government in Kejriwal’s absence. It is a big task to select a name for the AAP leadership who is at least close to the stature of Kejriwal, the party convenor since its inception in 2012 and three-time Delhi Chief Minister for almost a decade.
The party’s urgency becomes even more important as AAP prepares to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Assam and Haryana, where Kejriwal was to be the party’s key campaigner.
Arrested in the money laundering case related to the Excise Policy Scam case, the discussion about the successor of Kejriwal has started that who will be the next CM if Arvind Kejriwal resigns. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders say that Arvind Kajriwal will remain the CM of Delhi and will lead the government while in jail.
Sunita Kejriwal, Atishi or Saurabh Bhardwaj, who will be the next CM of Delhi? Along with Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, the names of Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, who was an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, are being taken prominently.
On this, the jail administration and legal experts say that legally there is no problem in this, but practically it is difficult because being the CM, people will come to the jail every day to get the files signed. In such a situation, the jail administration would not want to compromise the Chief Minister and the security of the jail.
On the other hand, the reason why Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are in jail is that the strongest contenders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj are considered. Atishi is handling the responsibilities of many departments including education, finance, revenue, PWD in Delhi government. At the same time, Saurabh Bhardwaj is also a key member of the Delhi Cabinet. He has many departments including urban development, health.
Aam Aadmi Party had launched a signature campaign named ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ in December last year and people were asked whether Arvind Kejriwal should resign from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi or run the government from jail. In response to this, 90 percent people said that Kejriwal has the mandate of Delhi and he is the elected Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, if Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena can recommend President’s rule in Delhi citing “breakdown of constitutional machinery”? However, the Home Ministry is consulting with law experts regarding this. Under Section 239 AB of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the LG can cite “breakdown of the constitutional machinery” and recommend President’s rule.
