Atishi would take responsibilities till Kejriwal is made CM with "thumping majority": Gopal Rai

New Delhi: Reiterating party's demand for early elections in Delhi, AAP leader Gopal Rai on Tuesday said that Atishi would carry responsibilities of the Chief Minister unless Arvind Kejriwal is elected by the people with a "thumping" majority.
"When he (Arvind Kejriwal) decided to resign, legislative party meeting was held today. In the meeting it was unanimously decided that until the next elections, that we want to be held in October-November at the earliest, and people make Arvind Kejriwal the Delhi CM with a thumping majority, Atishi would carry out the responsibilities as the new CM," Delhi Minister Gopal Rai said while addressing a Press conference.
"Atishi has been given two responsibilities by the MLAs here. The first is to continue the work despite hindrances by the BJP and the other one is to save the public of Delhi from all the tactics used by the Aam Aadmi party," he added.
Rai stated that the Delhi Chief Minister will tender his resignation today and then the new government will stake claim.
"Chief Minister will first give his resignation and the new Government will also stake claim today," Rai stated.
Speaking to the media, after Atishi was selected at Kejriwal's successor, Delhi government minister Kailash Gehlot who was also seen as a potential candidate for taking over the CM seat said, "Everyone unanimously agreed on Atishi's name".
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday in a meeting of party MLAs proposed the name of Atishi to be his successor.
Addressing a legislature party meeting at his residence in the national capital, Kejriwal made the proposal and the MLAs have supported him, sources said.
On Saturday, Kejriwal announced that he would resign and would not resume as the CM until the people of Delhi declared him "honest." He has also called for advancing polls in the national capital to November this year, ahead of the scheduled February elections.
Kejriwal stated that if re-elected by the public, it would serve as a "certificate" of his honesty. He added that he would push for early elections, alongside those in Maharashtra.
The announcement by the 54-year-old leader came two days after he was released from the Tihar jail after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam.
The apex court also imposed certain conditions on Kejriwal's release, including that he must refrain from making public comments about the case and must attend all hearings before the trial court unless exempted.