Kejriwal set to quit, AAP to name new Delhi CM at noon

The Aam Aadmi Party will announce the name of the leader who will replace Arvind Kejriwal as the Delhi chief minister at 12 pm on Tuesday after the legislative party meeting, the party said.

Kejriwal had announced his decision to resign from the post of chief minister on Sunday. He had said that he will only sit on the CM's chair when people give him a "certificate of honesty".

"The name of the new CM will be announced at 12 noon today after the legislative party meeting," a party functionary said.

On Monday, AAP held a series of meetings as Kejriwal sought feedback from members of the political affairs committee, the party's highest decision-making body, on his successor in one-on-one meetings at his official residence.

He had met senior leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, about the party's choice for chief minister.

Names of Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj are making the rounds as contenders, party insiders said and added that 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.

The BJP said Kejriwal's decision to resign as chief minister was borne out of "compulsion" and not driven by "principle". The saffron party has described his move as "drama" and a "confession of crime" and wondered if he had offered to quit because of infighting in AAP.

Addressing party workers on Sunday, Kejriwal sought polls in the national capital in November. The Delhi Assembly's term ends on February 23 and the polls are expected to be held some time in early February.