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Arvind Kejriwal to step down as Delhi CM: A look at his political journey
Arvind Kejriwal's decision has come two days after Supreme Court granted him bail in relation to the now-scrapped excise policy.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that he will resign as the chief minister of the national capital in the next two days.
The 56-year-old politician's decision has come two days after Supreme Court granted him bail in the excise policy case. The apex court said his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”.
The Delhi chief minister said that he would only accept the chief ministerial position if the people confirm his honesty in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
“We will go to the court of people to prove our innocence,” he said.
Here's a look at the AAP leader's political journey:
Kejriwal's political career began with his role in the India Against Corruption movement led by actvisit Anna Hazare in 2011, which aimed to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Inspired by the movement and the call for clean governance, Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2012. The party contested the Delhi assembly elections in 2013 and won 28 of 70 seats, leading to Kejriwal becoming Delhi's chief minister.
However, he resigned after 49 days due to ‘difficulties’ in passing the Jan Lokpal Bill. Later, AAP won a landslide victory in the 2015 elections, securing 67 of 70 seats and Kejriwal was re-elected.
He won again in 2020 and represents the New Delhi constituency.
In 2014, Kejriwal ran unsuccessfully against Narendra Modi in Varanasi. He has frequently clashed with the Modi government and Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on various issues including public appointments and jurisdictional responsibilities.
As chief minister, the AAP leader is credited with focusing on key areas such as education, healthcare, water, electricity and infrastructure. His government introduced the Mohalla Clinics initiative, providing accessible healthcare across Delhi.
Kejriwal's administration is also credited with offering free water up to 20,000 liters per month per household and subsidising electricity rates to make utilities more affordable.
Before entering politics, Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer was actively involved in advocacy for the Right to Information (RTI) movement and governance reforms. He gained prominence after receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership in 2006.
