NEW DELHI: After Arvind Kejriwal who? That’s the debating point within the AAP and outside. The Chief Minister’s arrest by the ED on Thursday came after he failed to appear on 9th summons in the excise policy scam case. The ED has already arrested two AAP heavyweights, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, in the case. The buzz is that several leaders are in the race for Kejriwal’s successor.
The ruling AAP was quick to assert that Kejriwal “will continue as the CM from jail and If need be, he will run the government from jail.”
Analysts, however, have speculated about Kejriwal’s wife Sunita donning the mantle, but the ground situation appears otherwise. AAP watchers say that Kejriwal may not like to be targeted for playing dynastic politics because he and his party have always advocated a clean public image where there is no room for such politics.
Among AAP senior leaders, Gopal Rai, a cabinet minister, could emerge a frontrunner. Rai is not only senior but also enjoys closeness to the AAP national convener. Rai, 48, was associated with the India Against Corruption movement in 2011. His ministerial performance is seen as above average. Soft-spoken, he has avoided creating any controversy.
Some analysts give Atishi an edge. She has risen rapidly since Sisodia’s arrest and is currently holding 14 portfolios, the highest in the AAP dispensation.
Then comes Saurabh Bhardwaj, who holds key portfolios in the cabinet. Both Atishi and Bhardwaj became ministers after vacancies caused by the incarceration of Satyendar Jain and Siosdia. Bhardwaj is a close aide of Kejriwal.
