Who will replace Kejriwal?
Last Updated on March 22, 2024 11:54 am
India’s Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise corruption case related to the liquor policy scam. His arrest has left his ruling government and Aam Aadmi Party in a major leadership crisis. During such a crisis, the question of who will replace Kejriwal in leading the government and the party has emerged.
The Aam Aadmi Party, however, has said that Kejriwal will continue to work as party chief and chief minister from jail.
However, according to a report by media outlet NDTV, three names are being discussed as possible replacements for Kejriwal. They are his wife Sunita Kejriwal, cabinet members Atishi Marlena and Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Sunita Kejriwal is a former revenue officer. Meanwhile, Atishi is a very influential member of Kejriwal’s cabinet. He is handling several ministries alone. These include Education, Finance, PWD, Revenue and Services. He is considered a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal.
Atishi is also a spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party. He has been speaking for the Aam Aadmi Party government and Arvind Kejriwal. Besides, he is bringing BJP single-handedly in press conferences and talk shows.
On the other hand, Sourav Bharadwaj is also a familiar face in the Delhi cabinet. He has been handling several important ministries including health and urban development. Apart from this, Sourav is also a well-known face of the team. He is acting as a shield for the party leaders. At the same time, the BJP and the ruling government of India are firing cannons on various issues.
The Aam Aadmi Party had already expressed fears that Chief Minister Kejriwal might be arrested.
In December last year, the Aam Aadmi Party launched a campaign called ‘Me too Kejriwal’. In this campaign, they asked people if Kejriwal should resign as Chief Minister if he is arrested, or should he run the government from jail.
During the campaign, the Aam Aadmi Party chief spoke to party MLAs and councilors of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to get their views on the matter.
In a recent press conference, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that almost 90 percent of the people who took part in the campaign gave the opinion that Kejriwal has the public opinion to run the Delhi government. So wherever he is from, he should run the government of Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party is in power in Delhi and Punjab. Apart from this, the party has MLAs in Gujarat and Goa. With Kejriwal arrested, the Aam Aadmi Party now has to look for an alternative party chief. But the team has few options.