Delhi's next CM: Will it be Sunita, Atishi, or a surprise candidate?
Arvind Kejriwal stumped everyone by announcing to resign as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Sunday. With only a few hours for the name of next CM to be announced, a strong buzz over the names of his wife Sunita and his ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai as his possible replacement has picked up.
Kejriwal was released on bail from the Tihar Jail earlier this week in the excise policy graft case.
Addressing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers at the party headquarters, after his release, he made the announcement to resign and hold the post again only after he was given a "certificate of honesty" by the people of Delhi.
"People should vote for me in the Delhi Assembly polls early next year if they thought i was honest, otherwise not," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also ruled out the second biggest leader of the AAP and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as his replacement, saying he will also not hold the post unless given clean chit by the people of Delhi.
Although there was no official comment from the AAP on the new chief minister after Kejriwal's resignation, sources said the CM's wife Sunita Kejriwal could be a potential candidate for replacement in the post.
A party functionary said when the chief minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, Sunita Kejriwal played a crucial role in the AAP's campaigning for the recent Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana.
She is a former Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer who understands the working of the government as well, he reasoned.
However, another senior AAP leader claimed that an MLA of the party will become the new chief minister.
The potential candidates for the chief minister's post also include the names of ministers Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj.
There was also speculation that the AAP may bring forward some dalit or Muslim legislator to hold the chief minister's post in view of the Delhi Assembly polls. There are 12 reserved constituencies and nearly half a dozen seats with significant minority population in the city.
Among the probables for the chief minister's post, Atishi was considered head and shoulders above others for holding maximum number of portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, finance, PWD, revenue and services, and is considered close to Kejriwal.
She is also a frontline spokesperson of the party defending the AAP government and Kejriwal, and attacking the BJP in her regular press conferences.
Gopal Rai is one of the senior most party leaders, commanding respect about being there in government since the AAP came to power for the first time in 2013.
Bharadwaj is also a prominent member of the Delhi Cabinet holding several important portfolios, including health and urban development.
The AAP sources said the surprise candidate could also be a member of the minority community as the party has witnessed thinning support among the community since the Delhi riots in 2020.
With PTI inputs
