Will Arvind Kejriwal's Wife be the Next Delhi CM? Her Media Briefing May Have Hints

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday read her jailed husband’s message to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and the people of the city. In the video message, Kejriwal’s wife can be seen sitting in the same setting, with tricolours and photographs of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh in the background, which the CM used for his conferences.

The move fueled the speculation that Mrs Kejriwal could take over as Delhi CM, while her husband is under arrest.

Quoting the Delhi chief minister, Sunita said no prison can “keep me inside and I will come out and fulfil my promises”.

“There are several forces within and outside India that are weakening the country. We have to be alert, identify these forces and defeat them…Women in Delhi must be thinking that Kejriwal is behind bars. Who knows if they would get Rs 1,000. I appeal to them to trust their brother, their son,” she said.

Kejriwal also appealed to all the workers of the AAP to not stop the work of social and public welfare with him going to jail. “Don’t hate BJP people due to this. They are our brothers and sisters. I will come back soon,” the Delhi CM said in his message.

Who Will Be Next Delhi CM?

Arvind Kejriwal will continue as the Delhi chief minister, AAP said soon after its convenor’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday evening in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case.

However, with the AAP’s biggest faces in jail, whispers within the political circle gained strength about the party looking for a possible replacement for the arrested Delhi CM.

Kejriwal’s wife Sunita, along with cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj are being seen as his possible replacements.

Though there is no law to stop a jailed chief minister from running the office from behind bars, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the party needs a key face during campaigning.

AAP gearing up to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Assam and Haryana, and since its inception in 2012, Kejriwal has been AAP’s biggest face as its convener.

The party’s three other national faces—Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh— are also in jail.

In such a situation, AAP needs to find a worthy face who could handle both the party and its government in Delhi in the absence of Kejriwal.

Since Kejriwal’s arrest, leaders such as Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, and ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Gopal Rai, have been mobilising party workers and taking key decisions.

As per media reports, for now, Atishi, Bharadwaj and Minister Kailash Gahlot will continue running the government in Delhi. Meanwhile, Pathak, Rai and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann focus on the party’s election preparations.