Why Arvind Kejriwal is set to resign as Delhi CM: Behind AAP chief’s political calculations

“The party is in favour of early polls in Delhi to be able to capitalise on the CM’s popularity, which has received another fillip after his release from jail just Friday,” said an AAP source.

Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, senior leader Vijay Nair, the party’s communications head, was recently released in the excise case. The CM’s long-time aide, Bibhav Kumar, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at Kejriwal’s home in May, was also granted bail recently, while senior Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, got bail in the excise case earlier this year. The release of these leaders has given the party a boost and it has been in election mode this past month.

The decision to resign was also a result of the two-fold curbs placed on Delhi’s elected government. One set of restrictions placed by the amended Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, which gives more powers to the Lieutenant Governor, especially over the bureaucracy; and second, the bail conditions imposed on Kejriwal that say he cannot go to the Delhi secretariat and his office and can only sign those filed that are meant to be approved or cleared by the Lt Governor.

“It was important to resign after getting bail and not before as it would have been a sign of weakness. Now, the CM is out and can continue in his role but has chosen to do this of his own volition and not under external pressure. The workers have been on the ground but it is true that the repeated attacks on us have left us in a weaker position. The senior leaders will focus on dispelling the rumours that have been spread while they were away and reconnecting with voters,” said a senior AAP leader.

“It is also a principled stand. We believe the people of Delhi will see that neither the CM nor Sisodia is interested in the kursi (power). They are here to work for the people of Delhi,” the leader added.

BJP questions timing

The announcement caught some in the BJP off guard. The party has been aggressively seeking to bolster its attack on the AAP in general and its senior leadership, especially Kejriwal— over the issue of corruption. A BJP source said the party was still in the “initial stages” of preparing for the Delhi elections.

Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana questioned the timing of the announcement. “The question is why has he sought two days’ time to resign…it appears that this is an attempt to stage a new drama — that, look, I want to resign but the people don’t want me to,” he alleged.

“Now because there is a Supreme Court order that he cannot go to the (Delhi) secretariat or sign files and there is no basis for him to remain CM, and the people of Delhi and the country are asking tough questions of you that you have started this drama…the question is why not resign today, why this drama?” Khurana added.

According to another BJP leader, the party has already chalked out a plan to hold the AAP accountable for civic issues “across the 250 municipal wards” in the capital. “The party held several deliberations over the campaign on at least two occasions — including one among the national and state leadership — in Vrindavan over the last few days. The BJP is more than ready to head into the Assembly polls if the need arises,” said the party functionary.

In the Delhi bureaucracy, there is some apprehension about the implementation of the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Rashi Yojana — under which women will be eligible to receive Rs 1,000 monthly — over procedural issues and delay. A government official said, “Less than six months of the tenure of the current Delhi Assembly remains and the Election Commission of India is well within the boundary of rules to allow elections in Delhi along with Maharashtra.”