Pointing out that Kejriwal has not been convicted, Atishi said the fight will go on. She added, “Kejriwal’s arrest after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections is a conspiracy. Mr Kejriwal is not just a man, he is a thought. If you think arresting one Kejriwal can finish off the thought, you are wrong. Mr Kejriwal is, was and will remain Delhi chief minister. We have said from the beginning that he will run the government from jail if need be. No law stops him from doing so.”
AAP, a 10-year-old party, is highly centralised, with Kejriwal being the political pivot. With the 2022 victory in Punjab, Bhagwant Mann was also projected as a central figure. However, Kejriwal was the main face for AAP. The arrest is likely to throw the entire campaign out of gear and will necessitate the second run of leadership to step up. This could be difficult as Cabinet ministers are relatively new and region-based. Delhi leaders have only Capital-centric presence and Punjab leaders are entrenched in their state politics. In the absence of Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, AAP lacks a leader who could take the entire party along.
