Who will be next Delhi CM? Sunita Kejriwal, Atishi among possible candidates

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s unexpected announcement to resign after two days kicked up a strong buzz on Sunday over the names of his wife Sunita and his ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai as his possible replacement.

Kejriwal, who was earlier this week released on bail from the Tihar Jail in the excise policy graft case, said that he would hold a meeting of the AAP MLAs in the next couple of days and a party leader would take over as the chief minister.

The chief minister addressing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers at the party headquarters here made the announcement to resign and hold the post again only after he was given a “certificate of honesty” by the people of Delhi.

He said that people should vote for him in the Delhi Assembly polls early next year if they thought he was honest, otherwise not.

Kejriwal also ruled out the second biggest leader of the AAP and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as his replacement, saying he will also not hold the post unless given clean chit by the people of Delhi.

Although there was no official comment from the AAP on the new chief minister after Kejriwal’s resignation, sources said the CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal could be a potential candidate for replacement in the post.

A party functionary said when the chief minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, Sunita Kejriwal played a crucial role in the AAP’s campaigning for the recent Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana.

She is a former Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer who understands the working of the government as well, he reasoned.

However, another senior AAP leader claimed that an MLA of the party will become the new chief minister.

Kejriwal said the name of the next chief minister will be decided in a meeting of the party MLAs on Tuesday.

The potential candidates for the chief minister’s post also include the names of ministers Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj.

There was also speculation that the AAP may bring forward some dalit or Muslim legislator to hold the chief minister’s post in view of the Delhi Assembly polls. There are 12 reserved constituencies and nearly half a dozen seats with significant minority population in the city.

Among the probables for the chief minister’s post, Atishi was considered head and shoulders above others for holding maximum number of portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, finance, PWD, revenue and services, and is considered close to Kejriwal.

She is also a frontline spokesperson of the party defending the AAP government and Kejriwal, and attacking the BJP in her regular press conferences.

Gopal Rai is one of the senior most party leaders, commanding respect about being there in government since the AAP came to power for the first time in 2013.

Bharadwaj is also a prominent member of the Delhi Cabinet holding several important portfolios, including health and urban development.

He too is a well-known face of the AAP, often engaged in defending the party and its leaders and counter-attacking the BJP and its government at the Centre on a range of governance-related and political issues.

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

In such a scenario, Delhi Minister Imran Hussain may be that surprise face, the added.