Days after walking free on bail, Arvind Kejriwal announces to resign as Delhi Chief Minister, seek re-election in Nov

Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced his resignation from the post of Delhi Chief Minister, just two days after he was freed from the Tihar Jail.

He announced the decision during a party meeting in the morning.

“Two days later, I will resign as Chief Minister,” Kejriwal said.

He said he will not sit in the administrative top post until people give their verdict.

He demanded the polls in Delhi, which are scheduled to be held in February, should be hosted in November along with elections in Maharashtra.

“I am here to ask people whether they consider Kejriwal to be guilty or innocent?” he said.

He said someone else from the Aam Aadmi Party will serve as the Chief Minister until the polls are held.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said the political outfit put him behind bars since it was scared of his performance.

“The only thing I have is honesty,” he said.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the excise policy case.

The top court has applied conditions on his bail. Kejriwal has been barred from entering into the Chief Minister’s office and the state secretariat. He won’t be able to sign off government files unless his consent is passed by the Lieutenant Governor.

The Chief Minister won’t be able to give any public statement on the case and will have to cooperate with the probe. He has been asked to pay Rs. 10 lakh as a bond amount.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI in June when he was already in Tihar Jail in connection with the same case.

The Aam Aadmi Party supremo has been in jail since March 21 when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over money laundering allegations while framing the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped after the Lieutenant Governor raised red flags.

He was arrested by the CBI on June 26.

The ED has alleged the money Kejriwal got from the liquor sellers was used to fund the party’s campaign in Goa since he is the convenor of the AAP.

Kejriwal was given an interim bail in May for a brief period until June 2, 2024 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.

He went back to the jail on June 2, 2024 the day next to the last phase poll date.