By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
New Delhi: Atishi is the new Chief Minister of Delhi after the Aam Admi Party (AAP) legislators elected her to the post today. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today formally submitted his resignation after meeting Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
At 4.30 pm today, Kejriwal, who is also the AAP’s national convenor, met the lieutenant Governor and submitted his resignation. AAP senior leaders, including CM designate Atishi were present at the time of his resignation and she staked a claim to form the new government. Later taking to microblogging platform X, she stated, in a tweet, she said, “Today 2 crore people of Delhi are very sad that their popular Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned. From today onwards, the people of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and I will all work with one aim – to make Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister again…”
Kejriwal in a calibrated move sought 48 hours before he resigned so that he could select his successor without leaving any discontent among the leaders in the party. After wide consultations and feedback from the cadres, he moved towards Atishi to be his successor. There was suspense till the last minute as there was pressure from others as well. Till now Atishi was holding half a dozen portfolios and was virtually functioning as the de facto chief minister when Kejriwal was in jail in the Delhi Excise case widely known as the Delhi liquor policy scam. She is close to both Kejriwal as well as Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia.
With this, Kejriwal has precipitated the political churning in the national capital. His move has perceptibly put both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party on the defensive and his outfit has emerged as the party most likely to enjoy the advantage in the Assembly polls that can be held by February 2025, unless, the Centre has other plans. In normal circumstances, the Delhi Assembly’s term ends on February 23, 2025, and polls are expected to be held sometime in February. Earlier, there were wide speculations in the media about the possibility of a President’s rule.
Kejriwal has framed his resignation decision as an “Agni Pariksha” – a trial by fire. This metaphor is apparently designed to get sympathy from across the political spectrum. By declaring that he will carry on the battle from the legal court to the people’s court, he has brought “Aam Aadmi” back to political discourse in the national capital. In politics, resignation is a strategic move aimed at strengthening his or her political image before the elections. Political circles feel that despite his resignation, Kejriwal, through his ‘dummy’ CM Atishi, will continue to hold significant influence within the party.
In other words, the AAP proposes to use the polls as a referendum on the honesty of Arvind Kejriwal, which, his detractors say, is strange since only the Courts have the right to convict or absolve anyone. However, Kejriwal has strong political instincts and if the people’s verdict is in his favour, he would claim that he had been declared innocent by the electorate thus applying pressure on the Centre. Kejriwal wants to evoke public sympathy, portraying himself as a leader wrongfully victimised by political opponents.
Kejriwal would also wish to make the Delhi elections, a plank for fighting for full statehood of Delhi, to end the multiplicity of authority as well as to ensure that the Centre, does not use the current Constitutional provisions to curtail his powers, and is forced to review its position and bring about changes, wherever they are required.
Kejriwal now aims to focus entirely on the upcoming Haryana elections, believing that the BJP’s popularity may decline, allowing him to capitalise on voter sentiment. No doubt, the liquor policy scam had severely damaged the reputation of both Kejriwal and his AAP party.
The AAP is contesting all the seats in the Assembly elections in Haryana and his supporters believe that after Kejriwal’s release, the Party nominees may benefit due to a “sympathy factor”. However, his detractors say that this is most unlikely since in Haryana, which also happens to be the region from where Kejriwal hails, the AAP’s presence and chances are almost negligible and its vote-cutting capacity is also very diminished. But no chances should ever be taken and therefore, the Congress Party in particular is said to be in a damage control mode.
AAP’s main rivals – both the BJP and the Congress Party – continue to be critical of Kejriwal’s “politics”. The BJP ridiculed Kejriwal’s resignation as out of “compulsion” and not driven by “principle”. The saffron party described his move as “drama” and a “confession of crime” and wondered if he had offered to quit because of infightings in AAP. He had to resign, because, as per the Supreme Court orders he could not go to the office and see files.
The BJP sees itself as a relentless opposition. Not once but twice, the BJP lost very badly in the hands of AAP in the Assembly elections in Delhi.
The Congress too reacted strongly and described the change of leadership in Delhi and naming of Atishi as the Chief Minister as a mere ploy of the AAP. “Change is for name sake, Kejriwal continues to be a de facto Chief Minister and will run the show from behind the scenes,” said a Congress leader.
*Senior journalist
Atishi is well established leader she has her own brain and has proved in education sector and also as party spokesperson, thus calling her as Dummy is wrong. Tamil Nadu CM late Jayalalithaa became CM as heir of MGR, but she became a popular CM and became a national leader. Aatishi is not Rabari Devi. Instead of calling Aatishi as Dummy, time will show true colors of Arvind Kejriwal as his party contesting all seats in Haryana will it damage chances of Congress party and save BJP. Is this a tacit understanding between Modiji and Kejriwal. I always say India got 3 Dramabaaj or Jokers in 2014 who pull out all types of street smart acts . Nation has tested 2 of them Modiji and Kejriwal and Rahul is awaited to be tested with direct power.