Leader of Delhi’s Government Resigns Months Before Polls
(Bloomberg) -- Arvind Kejriwal, the head of Delhi’s government, resigned from his post Tuesday and announced a replacement, just days after he was granted bail in a corruption case and released from prison.
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Atishi, who goes by one name, will be Delhi’s new chief minister following her approval at a legislative party meeting Tuesday. She’s a member of Delhi’s cabinet and has held important roles in education and power.
“He has entrusted his faith in me and given me the responsibility,” Atishi said of Kejriwal at a press briefing. In the coming months, the Aam Aadmi Party will work to ensure that Kejriwal is elected chief minister once again, she said.
Kejriwal and the AAP have been under pressure for more than a year amid allegations of impropriety in a liquor distribution case. Multiple leaders of the party, including the former deputy chief minister, have spent months in prison without trial.
The AAP has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party of misusing federal investigative agencies to target opposition leaders — which they deny. Kejriwal was arrested in March, weeks before India’s national elections kicked off.
The AAP governs Delhi — India’s national capital region, which includes New Delhi, the administrative center — and the northern state of Punjab.
On Saturday, Kejriwal announced that he would resign and called for fresh elections, which are scheduled for next year. “I have been accused of being a thief and corrupt,” he said during an address, denying all the charges against him.
His resignation came as a surprise to many in India. Kejriwal had previously refused to step down while incarcerated.
“Politically, it is a very astute move,” said Niranjan Sahoo, senior fellow with the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. “It is an interesting way to take the battle to the people’s court.”
--With assistance from Anup Roy.
(Includes more information about Delhi)
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