What Kejriwal arrest means for Opposition in Delhi, heading into Lok Sabha polls

Throwing his weight behind his party’s ally, Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely, who led a Congress delegation to Kejriwal’s residence, said, “Timing of the elections shows the BJP is afraid of our alliance. Democracy is in danger. This happens in Pakistan, not in India.”

The BJP, which last year began working on a 400-day strategy to corner the AAP on “10 specific scams” including the “DJB scam” – for which Kejriwal has also been issued summons by the ED – to portray the AAP convenor “as the face of corruption”, maintained that his arrest was “a legal and not a political matter”.

“This arrest will certainly help the INDIA bloc’s prospects in Delhi; both parties have a common support base across slums, unauthorised colonies and lower-middle class households in the city. Kejriwal’s arrest will trigger a wave of sympathy which will help consolidate our votes,” a senior Congress leader said.

According to a BJP insider, however, the party’s senior leadership was in a huddle with “legal minds” to chart the way forward with “several options” on the anvil.

“The matter has now reached the courts, where if AAP continues to stick to its strategy of Kejriwal governing the city from jail, there is a window for us to argue for the President’s rule to avoid a constitutional crisis. The Centre has already stated on several occasions that since Delhi is the national capital, it needs more control over its functioning,” a source said.

A senior AAP leader admitted that the Lieutenant Governor being put at the helm of the capital’s governance was “a very real” possibility in days to come. “We believe putting the Delhi Assembly under suspended animation for the foreseeable future during which the L-G will act as the BJP’s arm to govern the city till the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections is very much on the cards,” said the leader.

“Whether or not they let the Delhi Assembly exist after that – a fear which we have expressed several times – will likely depend on whether the BJP thinks it can defeat the AAP in elections next year,” the leader added.