Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to resign on Tuesday, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs set to hold a crucial meeting at 11:30 a.m. at his residence to choose his successor.
Kejriwal is likely to meet Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena at 4:30 p.m. to formally submit his resignation.
Following his release from Tihar jail on bail in the excise policy case, the AAP national convenor had announced on Sunday that he would resign within 48 hours and called for early elections in Delhi. He stated that he would not return to the chief minister's post until he received a "certificate of honesty" from the public.
On Monday, Kejriwal held several meetings with senior party leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, to discuss potential successors.
Party insiders have named Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, and Saurabh Bharadwaj as possible candidates. Other contenders include Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, and Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla.
Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar is also being considered, while Delhi minister Imran Hussain may emerge as a surprise choice, especially in an effort to regain support from the minority community.
The BJP criticised Kejriwal’s impending resignation, calling it a move driven by "compulsion" rather than "principle" and labelling it a "drama" and a "confession of crime". The party speculated whether Kejriwal's decision was due to internal conflicts within AAP.
Kejriwal has called for elections in November, though the Delhi Assembly's term ends on 23 February, with polls likely to be held in early February.
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