Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that he will step down as chief minister of the Delhi regional government, a day after being released from prison on bail in a corruption case. Kejriwal was granted bail by India's Supreme Court on Friday and was released from prison on Saturday, nearly six months after his detention in connection with alleged irregularities in the capital city's liquor policy.
Kejriwal, a staunch critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a former anti-corruption activist, leads the decade-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which swiftly rose to prominence in mainstream politics despite its relatively small influence compared to older opposition parties. The AAP had anticipated that Kejriwal's release from prison would enable him to campaign as chief minister in regional elections next month in the northern state of Haryana, and in Delhi early next year.
During a meeting with AAP workers, Kejriwal announced his resignation as chief minister, stating that he would only return to the position if the public vouched for his integrity by voting for him in the upcoming Delhi election. He urged the Election Commission to advance the Delhi election to November, from February 2025. "I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections, I demand the elections be held immediately," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal was initially detained in March by India's financial crime-fighting agency, just weeks before the country's national elections, in relation to Delhi's liquor policy. Although he was granted bail in that case in July, he remained in custody due to his arrest the previous month by the federal police in another graft case related to the same policy. Kejriwal, 55, and the AAP deny the allegations, asserting that the cases are "politically motivated."
