Arvind Kejriwal Resigns as Delhi CM, Proposes Atishi as Successor Amid Upcoming Elections

After resigning from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has decided to leave all the facilities including the government house. After Arvind Kejriwal submitted his resignation to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on Tuesday, Chief Minister-designate Atishi staked her claim to form the new government. This development is being seen as a strategy to gain an edge before the assembly elections in Delhi in about five months.

Arvind Kejriwal will vacate his Chief Minister's residence in 15 days. After vacating the government residence, Kejriwal will go among the public. It has not yet been decided where Arvind Kejriwal will live, but he will vacate the Chief Minister's residence in 15 days.

Kejriwal will also leave all the government facilities given to the Chief Minister. According to AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Arvind Kejriwal has given this information to the party leaders.

Kejriwal had announced his resignation from the post of Chief Minister on Sunday. He had then said that he would sit on the Chief Minister's chair only when the public would give him a "certificate of honesty". The AAP supremo, released from jail last week and facing corruption charges in the Delhi liquor policy 'scam', submitted her resignation to Lieutenant Governor Saxena on Tuesday evening. Atishi (43) will be the third woman chief minister of Delhi. Before her, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Congress' Sheila Dixit have held this post.

Kejriwal proposed Atishi's name as his successor in a meeting of party MLAs, which was unanimously accepted by all the MLAs. Atishi said after the legislature party meeting, "I will work with the same goal for the next few months that Kejriwal should be made the Chief Minister again. I will work as the Chief Minister under the guidance of Arvind Kejriwal."

The term of the Delhi Assembly is going to end on February 23 next year and because of that, elections are expected to be held in early February. However, Kejriwal has demanded that elections be held in Delhi along with Maharashtra in November. There was a lot of speculation about who would be the next Chief Minister after Kejriwal. Atishi's name was at the forefront in this race and she is considered very close to Kejriwal and another prominent leader in the party Manish Sisodia. Kejriwal proposed Atishi's name in the AAP Legislature Party meeting, which was unanimously accepted by all the MLAs.