What’s next for Arvind Kejriwal?

A new power occupies the throne in Delhi. On February 20, Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi’s new Chief Minister, ushering in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Delhi after a 26-year long hiatus. She succeeds Atishi Marlena, who in turn was tapped to be a temporary replacement for AAP party supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had hoped for a resurgence in the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, but found itself out of power when votes were counted on February 8. It won only 22 of the total 70 seats, as contrasted with BJP’s 48. When votes were counted on February 8, 2025, several major leaders of the party, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj found themselves among the list of defeated candidates. Mr. Kejriwal lost his New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, outdone by a margin of 4,098 votes. The former CM now finds himself out of the Vidhan Sabha after a decade-long stay.

The bureaucrat-turned-activist-turned politician had a multiphase journey to his current notoriety. Along the way he picked up new foes and made enemies of former allies, such as senior advocate Prashant Bhushan and anti-corruption activist and mentor Anna Hazare. Following his former disciple’s defeat, Mr. Hazare said, “I have been saying it for a long that while contesting the election – the candidate must have a character, good ideas and have no dent on image but they (AAP) didn’t. They got tangled in liquor and money.” Mr. Hazare further said  he had refused to be a part of the party when it was initially discussed during the anti-corruption movement.  

With the former Chief Minister and MLA no longer spearheading the administration in the national capital, we try to trace his meteoric rise, the steep fall and what lies ahead.   

Early years and formation of AAP

Arvind Kejriwal was born on August 16, 1968, in Siwani, Haryana. He attended the Campus School in Hisar before graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in 1989. After a short stint in Tata Steel, he cracked the civil services exam and entered the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in 1995. There he won acclaim for launching an anti-bribery campaign in his own department. He founded the organisation Parivartan in 2000, aiming to bring in transparency to the tax department, launching protests and even filing a Public Interest Litigation to this end. He also lobbied for change using the Right to Information Act as a powerful tool, particularly to improve the lot of residents in Sundernagari, a New Delhi slum.

Mr. Kejriwal transitioned to activism as a full-time vocation in 2006, and resigned from the IRS. The same year, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership.

In 2011, Mr Kejriwal joined the India Against Corruption movement, led by noted social activist Anna Hazare. The movement sought the enactment of the Jan Lokpal Bill to tackle corruption in government. It was in 2012 that Mr. Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party. At a time when the Centre was racked by multiple scams and instances of high-level corruption, AAP seemed like a promising alternative, touting transparent governance for the public good.

Praveen Rai of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi wrote in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) in 2017, that the AAP as an alternative was different from earlier experimentations for it appeared to be rooted in a mass movement and wedded to the Gandhian philosophy with a vision of achieving ‘Swarajya’. “AAP’s baptism in the anti-corruption movement provided it the foundation to build a sustainable organisation bottom-up with a primary focus on removing corruption from public life and writing a new grammar and syntax of democratic politics in India,” the political analyst wrote.  

Political experiments

The Aam Aadmi Party contested the Legislative Assembly elections in Delhi for the first time in 2013, and won 28 out of 70 seats. It formed the government with the external support of the Congress. Mr. Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi, putting a definitive end to Sheila Dikshit’s 15 year tenure as the Chief Minister of Delhi. But he resigned in 49 days, citing as his reason his inability to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.

In the general elections of 2014, the Aam Aadmi Party contested in more than 400 parliamentary seats. Arvind Kejriwal himself contested against Narendra Modi in UP’s Varanasi, an unsuccesful bid. The party too did not make substantial progress in most constituencies, however, in Punjab, it “surprised psephologists by winning four out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats and emerged as a major political player therein,” Mr Rai notes.

In 2015, AAP notched a stunning victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, winning 67 of 70 seats and Mr. Kejriwal was sworn in as Chief Minister.

AAP’s next major success came during the Punjab Assembly elections in 2017 where it emerged as the main opposition. The same year, it launched its 2019 Lok Sabha campaign from Ayodhya, also seeking to lead the Opposition block and allying with the Trinamool Congress. However, it failed to have any impact – managing to win only one seat. 

Till then a strident voice in Opposition, in August 2019, AAP broke from other parties in supporting the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government during the controversial abrogation of Article 370 from the Indian Constitution. This scrapped the special status accorded to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. It also expressed support for the Supreme Court judgement on the Ram Mandir, and Mr. Kejriwal was seen making references to Ram Rajya in Delhi.

In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP returned to power, albeit with a reduced mandate. Mr. Kejriwal became Chief Minister for a third term, scoring a hat-trick victory from his Vidhan Sabha constituency of New Delhi.

During its time in power, Aam Aadmi Party was credited with ensuring a focus on education, health, electricity, and water supply. The government also launched Mohalla Clinics, providing affordable healthcare to the Delhi populace. Its welfare schemes also entailed providing free water up to 20,000 litres per month per household. Furthermore, it subsidised electricity and improved public transportation. For education, the Kejriwal-led regime embarked on upgradation of infrastructure in public schools and the introduction of entrepreneurship in school curriculums. Notably, Mr. Kejriwal launched the Odd-Even scheme for vehicles, in an effort to combat air pollution.

These measures were popular with the public, as was the party’s core tenet of anti-corruption and embracing of simplicity. For example, he declined the official bungalow and security accorded to the Chief Minister. However, the regime faced several challenges, including allegations of scams and a face-off with the Centre over the role of the Lieutanant Governor.

Issues plaguing his term

Early on during his term, Mr. Kejriwal’s government found itself at odds with the Union government and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, who is appointed by the Centre. The crux of the dispute was a tussle over who had the power to administer Delhi, including the right to make public appointments and whether the L-G was bound to heed the recommendations of Delhi’s Council of Ministers.  

Mr. Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party were also criticised as moving away from the party’s founding ideals as an anti-corruption, grassroots level party, instead embracing certain elements of Hindutva and nationalism. AAP distanced themselves from the anti-CAA protests in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh in 2019. In 2022, AAP was criticised for inaction after communal riots racked Jahangirpuri in North Delhi.

The most controversial issue plaguing Kejriwal’s term, however, is the alleged scam pertaining to Delhi’s liquor excise policy, which led to the arrest (and later release) of Mr. Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia. It is alleged that there was corruption in the formulation of the policy, enriching private individuals at cost to the state exchequer. AAP denounced the charges as politically motivated. The case is still being investigated.

Additionally, AAP Minister Satyendar Jain was arrested for alleged involvement in a money laundering case.

After being released on bail in September 2024, Mr. Kejriwal resigned as the Chief Minister, saying that he would prove his innocence in ‘Janata Ki Adalat’ (the people’s court). Atishi was appointed as Delhi’s interim Chief Minister; she reportedly ruled with his modhas (shoes) on the chair, firmly believing that he would return to the helm.

During the campaign for the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, Mr. Kejriwal made headlines for controversial remarks. Prominent among them: he accused the Haryana government of polluting Yamuna water, sparking a blame game with the BJP-led State government. He also came under fire for his remarks about the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls and the registration of fake voters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. BJP alleged that he was insulting ‘Purvanchalis’ — people from eastern UP and Bihar.

Mr. Kejriwal was also targeted by the BJP for his official residence. The national party accused him of having spent more than ₹45 crores to “build a Sheesh Mahal” for himself instead of furthering public good. The AAP countered with questions about the Prime Minister’s residence, dubbing it “Raajmahal” (king’s palace). 

New Delhi’s continuing battles with catastrophic pollution and frustration with civic infrastructure also did not endear the party to the public. The NDA christened the party an “AAPda” (disaster) for the city. 

The poll debacle and road ahead

The former Chief Minister is now also a former MLA. Earlier in February, Mr. Kejriwal, conceding defeat, said in a video: “We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory, and I hope they will fulfil all the promises for which people have voted for them.” He also said that AAP would be a constructive opposition and continue to serve the people of Delhi. 

Further, in a post on X, Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh, and an INDIA alliance member, asserted that rather than a vindication of the Prime Minister’s policies, the results were a “rejection of Arvind Kejriwal’s politics of deceit, deception, and vastly exaggerated claims of achievement.” Noting that AAP had won in 2015 and 2020, when BJP was in power at the Centre, Mr. Ramesh said that this vote reflected a wish to oust AAP rather than electing the BJP. 

For now, Arvind Kejriwal remains at the helm of the AAP. However, it is a shaky road ahead. The party’s loss in Delhi may have political ripple effects in Punjab, as well as Gujarat and Goa. 

Further, Mr. Kejriwal, who is still out on bail, has to manage legal proceedings relating to the alleged liquor excise policy scam. Investigation is still ongoing.On January 7, Delhi’s L-G had authorised a raid by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Mr. Kejriwal’s residence. It also searched the homes of AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Mukesh Ahlawat. In an additional legal headache for Mr. Kejriwal, the Haryana government too has filed a case against him for his remarks about the Yamuna’s cleanliness.