Arvind Kejriwal submits resignation to L-G Saxena | LIVE updates

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal claimed that AAP leader Atishi, who has been chosen as Delhi’s new chief minister, will be a “dummy” CM.

Reacting to the allegations, AAP leader Dilip Pandey said if Ms. Maliwal has a little bit of shame, she should quit the Upper House seat.

“Today, it is a very sad day for Delhi. A woman is going to be the chief minister of Delhi whose family fought for terrorist Afzal Guru in order to save him from capital punishment,” Ms. Maliwal alleged.

“Her parents sent mercy petition to the President of India several times that Guru should not be hanged, he is innocent and has become the victim of a political conspiracy,” Ms. Maliwal added.

Reacting to Maliwal’s allegations, Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey stated that Maliwal is a person who takes ticket from the AAP to go to Rajya Sabha, but takes the script from the BJP to speak.

“I want to say that if she (Maliwal) has a little bit of shame, she should give up her AAP’s Rajya Sabha ticket and should resign from the post of member of Parliament. She should ask for ticket from the BJP for the Rajya Sabha if she has a desire to be there,” Mr. Pandey said.

Atishi (43) will be Delhi’s youngest Chief Minister and is also set to become the second current woman chief minister in the country after West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee.

Other two women CMs of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj were 60 and 56 years old respectively, when they held the post.

Arvind Kejriwal tenders his resignation to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, AAP sources say.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai, addressing the media, confirms that Kejriwal has submitted his resignation. Rai further says, Atishi has also submitted her request to stake claim to form the government as quickly as possible.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reached the LG Secretariat, with his Cabinet colleagues, to tender his resignation.

AAP leader Atishi, who was earlier in the day chosen as Kejriwal’s successor at a legislature party meeting, was also accompanying him.

He said he would only sit on the CM’s chair when the people give him a “certificate of honesty”.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday congratulated AAP leader Atishi on being chosen as the next Delhi chief minister and wished that she would effectively take on dictatorial forces and work towards a developed National Capital. 

“Many congratulations @AtishiAAP Ji. Wish you would take effectively on dictatorial forces and work towards a developed and dynamic Dilli,” Mr. Singhvi, a Rajya Sabha MP of the Congress, said in a post on X.

Mr. Singhvi tagged a September 14 post by Atishi in which she had said, “Dr. Singhvi: We will always be indebted to you for leading this legal fight against a dictatorial govt, that was out to crush.”

You can change the face but not the party’s character, Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva said.

He said the people of Delhi know that Arvind Kejriwal, who proposed her name as his successor, has looted Delhi.

“They have indulged in corruption in every department and now the people will give them an answer for that corruption,” Mr. Sachdeva said.

“Chehara badalane se AAP ka charitra nahi badalega (changing the face does not change AAP’s character)... Considering Kejriwal’s 10 years of corruption, whoever is the CM will have to tell people how they looted the people of Delhi,” Mr. Sachdeva alleged.

- PTI

In her first remarks after being designated the next chief minister of Delhi, senior AAP leader Atishi on Tuesday said she was sad that party supremo Arvind Kejriwal was resigning from the post, and added that she will work towards bringing him back as CM.

Atishi, who currently holds several portfolios in the Delhi government, said only a party like Aam Aadmi Party would have given a “first-time politician” like her such responsibilities. “I will work with one goal for the next few months to bring back Kejriwal on chief minister’s post. I will work as chief minister under Arvind Kejriwal’s guidance and protect the people of Delhi,” Atishi said addressing a press conference.

Atishi thanked ‘guru’ Kejriwal after she was named new CM of Delhi. “I will work under Arvind Kejriwal’s guidance, protect people of Delhi,” said the designated Delhi CM.

“Only possible in AAP and under Kejriwal’s leadership that a first-time politician has become CM. I am happy, but also sad that my elder brother Arvind Kejriwal is resigning today,” Atishi on being designated Delhi CM.

The name Atishi Marlena first surfaced in news when she was made special advisor to the then Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. She famously earned ₹1 for the role.

Atishi was among 10 people named special advisors. She was assisting Mr. Sisodia in “educational reforms”. It was during this term, the AAP government introduced the ‘happiness’ curriculum in Delhi government-run schools.

Her term didn’t last long as the MHA pointed out that the 10 posts were not among the list of posts approved for the Chief Minister and Ministers of Delhi. Delhi being a Union Territory needs Central government’s approval for creating new posts. Mr. Sisodia claimed the sole aim of MHA notice was to remove Ms. Atishi from the post.

“BJP put false cases on Arvind Kejriwal and kept him inside jail for six months,” Atishi told the media after the meeting of AAP MLAs.

“Finally, the Supreme Court gave him bail and called central government’s investigative agencies a caged parrot. And Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is wrong,” she said.

“What Arvind Kejriwal did after that must have not been done by anyone in the world. He said that I’ll be Chief Minister only after people of Delhi say that ‘I’m honest and elect me as CM’.”

—Nikhil M. Babu

Following her election as Chief Minister of Delhi by AAP MLAs, Atishi addressed the media:

“First of all, I thank Delhi’s beloved Chief Minister and my guru, Arvind Kejriwal for giving me such a big responsibility. Today he has given me the responsibility to be the CM.”

“I’m happy that he has shown so much faith in me. But I’m even more sad that Delhi’s beloved CM and my big brother Arvind Kejriwal is resigning today.”

“I want to say this on behalf of the MLAs and people of Delhi: There is only one Chief Minister of Delhi and that is Arvind Kejriwal.”

—Nikhil M. Babu

A controversy broke out in 2018 when Atishi dropped her “foreign sounding” surname. She was AAP’s East Delhi candidate and was facing Gautam Gambhir of BJP. Though the BJP won the seat, her surname and religion was raised during the poll campaign. 

She had been given the name Marlena, referring to Marx and Lenin, by her parents, Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi who were professors. 

Coming to her aid, Manish Sisodia posted her caste and religion on X, then known as Twitter, only to face Election Commission’s action for violation of model code of conduct.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders said the Delhi Assembly will be convened on September 26 and 27.

After Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation this evening, a delegation of AAP legislators will meet the lt governor to stake claim for formation of a new government led by Atishi, party leader Gopal Rai told reporters. 

-PTI

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai said the Arvind Kejriwal will first submit his resignation to the L-G at 4:30 p.m. today. “After that, Atishi will submit the decision of the AAP legislative party to the L-G,” he said.

He added that a decision about the new cabinet would be taken later.

—Nikhil M. Babu

“Today, at the meeting of MLAs, it was decided that till Assembly election, till when people of Delhi elect Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister again, Atishi ji will take the responsibility of Chief Minister,” said Delhi Minister Gopal Rai.

— Nikhil M. Babu

Atishi or Atishi Marlena Singh has been with the Aam Aadmi Party since its inception. She was elected from Kalkaji constituency. She was inducted into the Delhi Cabinet after the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain following their arrest. 

Atishi holds several important portfolios including Education, PWD, Tourism and Culture. 

She will be the third woman Chief Minister of the Union Territory after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. 

Atishi, who has been proposed by Arvind Kejriwal as the next Delhi CM, is currently a cabinet Minister in the Delhi government and holds many important portfolios including education, PWD, and power.

She is the MLA from Kalkaji, Delhi. She has been involved with the party since 2013.

At a meeting with MLAs, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Atishi as the new Chief Minister of Delhi.

It was approved by all MLAs.

Atishi has been selected as leader of AAP legislative party.

— Nikhil M. Babu

AAP’s legislative party meeting to choose Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s replacement begins.

-PTI

AAP leader Gopal Rai arrives to attend the meeting to elect new CM of Delhi at Kejriwals residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Few would disagree with the view that the CBI should strive to dispel the notion that it is “a caged parrot”, and that its investigation should not give the impression that it probes cases and arrests people in a high-handed and biased manner. The judge has rightly emphasised the right of the accused to remain silent, and decried the propensity among investigating agencies to cite “non-cooperation” or “evasive answers” during questioning as a ground to keep suspects in prison.

Read the editorial here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday (September 15, 2024) said the announcement by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal that he would resign as the Chief Minister of Delhi was nothing but a “confession of his crime” and that he had been forced to do so as the Supreme Court, by granting him “conditional bail” in the Delhi excise policy case, restricted his powers as Chief Minister.

The Congress called the resignation a “political drama” and said Mr. Kejriwal should have resigned six months ago as he had lost the moral right to hold the post. The Congress and the AAP had a tie-up in the Lok Sabha election but since then the Congress has been attacking the AAP over issues pertaining to Delhi.

Read the story here.

Names of Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj are making the rounds as contenders, party insiders said and added that Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel were also probables.

Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla, who is also the deputy speaker in the assembly, and Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar are also potential candidates, they added.

The AAP sources said the surprise candidate could also be a member of the minority community as the party has witnessed its support among the community wavering since the 2020 Delhi riots.

In such a scenario, Delhi minister Imran Hussain may be the surprise face, they added.

-PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party will announce the name of the new Delhi Chief Minister at 12 p.m.

The announcement will be made after party chief Arvind Kejriwal meets with AAP Delhi MLAs, according to AAP sources.

— Nikhil M. Babu

Had Arvind Kejriwal resigned six months ago at the time of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, it would have spared city residents the agony they underwent in the absence of their CM, said Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Sunday.

The Congress leader said while Mr. Kejriwal was in jail, nearly 40 people died in rain-related incidents even as city residents faced issues of water shortage and garbage pile-up.

Read more here.

Two days after he came out of jail on bail in the Delhi excise policy case, ​Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared that he would be quitting the top post​, having resolutely refused to do so while behind bars. Political observers believe the gambit is aimed at regaining political traction ahead of the Assembly Election in Delhi early next year, while someone else takes over the hassle of governance. Mr. Kejriwal is not the first Chief Minister to propose this route to political and electoral redemption, but the experience of other CMs who opted for it has been mixed, and comes with cautionary tales.

Read more here:

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The Delhi chiefs of the BJP and the Congress on Monday attacked Arvind Kejriwal over “misgovernance” and “lack of civic amenities”. The BJP said Mr. Kejriwal’s decision to resign was borne out of “compulsion” and not “principle”.

Read the story here.

“He (Mr. Kejriwal) sought time from the L-G to submit his resignation, and he has got the time to meet him tomorrow (Tuesday). Today, he called a meeting of the PAC, which was attended by senior leaders and all Ministers of the existing (State) Cabinet. The CM talked one-to-one with all leaders who attended the meeting about the new CM and took their feedback,” senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, after the PAC meeting took place on Monday (September 16, 2024).

The L-G has approved Tuesday’s appointment.

Read the story here.