Delhi: Kejriwal quits leadership in Atishi (with sights set on elections)

The leader of the Aam Admy Party - a member of the opposition to Modi, who was released from prison by the Supreme Court after his arrest last March over the excise scandal - has resigned as head of the local government in the Indian capital, appointing another member of his party to succeed him. However, he wants to bring forward the administrative vote to November in order to obtain a ‘certificate of honesty’ from the citizens of Delhi and return to the leadership of the executive.

Delhi (AsiaNews) - Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal today named Atishi Marlena Singh, a 43-year-old activist of his own party, as his successor to head the local government in Delhi.

The choice came after Kejriwal had announced his resignation as Delhi Chief Minister within 48 hours, after the Supreme Court - by granting him bail in the Delhi Excise Policy court case for which he was arrested last March - had nevertheless barred him from entering the Chief Minister's office.

A former civil servant who became a champion of anti-corruption through his Aam Admy Party, Kejriwal has led Delhi's local government almost continuously since 2013, putting himself forward as a populist counterbalance to Narendra Modi and his BJP, the Hindu nationalist party.

The handover with Atishi - in the intentions of the Aap leader - is however temporary in nature. He has said, in fact, that he will seek re-election and that he will not sit in the seat of the head of government until he has obtained a ‘certificate of honesty’ from the citizens of Delhi.

This is why Arvind Kejriwal has also asked the Election Commission to bring forward the Delhi Assembly elections to November, instead of the natural deadline of February 2025.

Atishi - daughter of two Delhi University professors, active in the AAP since its foundation - is a key face of the party: she coordinated the school reform and had already joined the local government last year, taking over the delegations of finance and education.

When Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were in jail, Atishi emerged as the main critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the capital. He also defended the AAP government during the Delhi water crisis.

The BJP reacted to Arvind Kejriwal's resignation and Atishi's choice by dismissing them as a mere ‘public relations stunt’.