Kejriwal to resign after 2 days, vows to return only with ‘certificate of honesty'

Demands Delhi Assembly polls along with Maharashtra in November

- AIMAN FATIMA

In an unexpected and dramatic turn of events, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that he would resign after two days and sought early polls in the national capital, sparking widespread speculation about his motives and the potential ramifications for Delhi’s political landscape. He vowed not to sit in the chief minister’s chair till people give him a “certificate of honesty”.

“I want to undergo an ‘agnipariksha’ after coming out of jail,” he said.

The sudden announcement came just two days after Kejriwal’s release from nearly six months of incarceration related to a high-profile excise policy case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Speaking at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headquarters, Kejriwal stated: “I will not sit in the CM’s chair until the people of Delhi give their verdict. I will resign after two days.” Kejriwal asserted that his resignation was a matter of principle, not personal ambition.

The announcement was coupled with a demand for early Assembly elections.

“Delhi elections are due in February, but I demand that elections in the national capital be held in November alongside Maharashtra,” he said.

The AAP national convener added: “I will become chief minister, and Manish Sisodia will become deputy CM only when people say we are honest.”

Alleging that the BJP tried to prove him corrupt, Kejriwal said the saffron party could not provide good schools and free electricity to people because they are corrupt. “We are honest,” he asserted.