Kejriwal's successor: amidst speculations, Sisodia to meet CM today

New Delhi: As speculations are rife about on whom the mantle of Delhi CM will fall, following Arvind Kejriwal's announcement on Sunday that he will relinquish office within 48 hours, enior AAP leader believed to be second in command in the party, Manish Sisodia will meet the Delhi Chief Minister on Monday.

Kejriwal had said that he will not sit in the chief minister's chair until the people give him a favourble verdict with a 'certificate of honesty' and the Delhi state assembly election due in February 2025. However, Kejriwal has demanded the elections to be held in November along with state assembly elections for Maharashtra.

The AAP national convener said that he would become chief minister and Manish Sisodia his deputy "only when people say we are honest".

A party functionary on Monday said, "Kejriwal and Sisodia will be meeting today. This will be the first meeting after the decision by them. The meeting is also likely to see a discussion over the next chief minister." The meeting is slated to be held at the chief minister's official residence in the Civil Lines area.

Kejriwal, who was released on bail from the Tihar Jail in the excise policy graft case on Friday, has said that he would hold a meeting of the AAP MLAs in a couple of days and one of his party colleagues would take over as the chief minister.

His unexpected announcement kicked up a strong buzz over the names of his wife Sunita and his ministers Atishi Marlena and Gopal Ra, currently inister for employment, development, labour, general administration and irrigation.

As per reports doing the rounds, the search of the leadership would be for a leader who can win wide acceptability and also articulate the philosophy and policies of AAP effectively. However, Manish Sisodia has in effect ruled himself out of the race for the interim post by saying that he will assume office only after winning the people's mandate.

Besides the name of Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal, another prominent name heard in the air is that of Delhi Minister Atishi, who hold the portfolios of education and PWD, and also the party's face before the media and public during the incarceration of AAP leaders including Kejriwal and Sisodia. An Oxford alumnus and a Rhodes scholar, she became minister following the arrest of Sisodia in the corruption case around the now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government.

Also under consideration are AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Raghav Chadhaa. The former has become MLA three times, and like Atishi was made a minister after Sisodia's arrest. A software engineer before becoming a minister, Bharadwaj had served as a minister in Arvind Kejriwal's 49-day government,. and also a national spokesman of the party during the absence of AAP leaders who were put in jail.

Raghav Chadha is a Rajya Sabha member and is on AAP's national executive and political affairs committee. A chartered accountant before his political stint which started with the inception of AAP, he has been an MLA and is credited with a major role in the huge victory of AAP in Punjab in 2022. At 35, he is noted as one of the prominent young politicians in the country.

(With inputs from PTI)