India opposition leader resigns as Delhi's chief minister

Prominent opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned from his post, days after getting bail in a corruption case.

Kejriwal spent five months in jail in connection with a now-scrapped alcohol sales policy. He has denied the allegations against him.

He has said that he will take up the post only if people re-elect his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming assembly elections.

Kejriwal's colleague and senior Delhi minister Atishi will replace him as the leader of the government, the party announced on Tuesday.

AAP made its poll debut in 2013 Delhi assembly elections and has governed the capital city since, focussing on welfare measures such as affordable electricity and water for residents.

In 2020, the party won 62 seats in the 70-seat assembly – in almost a repeat of its performance in the previous election when it won 67 seats.

Kejriwal had announced his intention to resign over the weekend, saying he would sit on the chief minister's chair only if the people of Delhi gave him a "certificate of honesty".

"I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people's court," he told reporters.

Kejriwal has called for advancing the Delhi elections, which are scheduled for February next year, to November, aligning them with the upcoming polls in Maharashtra state.

Experts, however, say that is unlikely to happen.

Indian laws stipulate that elections cannot be scheduled less than six months before an assembly term's end unless the assembly is dissolved early. Additionally, the Election Commission considers factors like weather, festivals, and electoral roll revisions before announcing elections.